Division  D5810 

. .W85 

Section 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2015 


https://archive.org/details/landofrisingsun00devo_0 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  RISING  SUN 


0 


THE  LAND  OF 
THE  RISING  SUN 


BY 

GREGOIRE  DE  WOLLANT 


TRANSLATED  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  BY 
THE  AUTHOR,  WITH  THE  ASSISTANCE 
OF  MADAME  DE  WOLLANT 


NEW  YORK  AND  WASHINGTON 

THE  NEALE  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

1905 


COPYRIGHT,  1905 
BY  SARAH  F.  T1SDEL 


CONTENTS 

PART  FIRST 


PRELIMINARY  REMARKS 

Chapter  I 

Soil — Geological  structure — Volcanoes — Earthquakes — Min- 
erals— Climate — Typhoons — Flora — Fauna 9 

HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

Chapter  II 

Origin  of  the  Japanese — The  Koro-pok-guru  or  Tzutzi 
Gumo  (spider-people) — The  Ainos — Malay  or  Mon- 


golians?— Archeological  discoveries 14 

Chapter  III 

Prehistoric  condition  of  the  Japanese  as  represented  by  the 
ancient  Chronicles,  Ko-ji-ki 22 

Chapter  IV 

Cosmogony  of  the  Japanese — Shintoism 26 


Chapter  V 

Beginning  of  Japanese  history — Legendary  Emperors 
— Invasions  of  Korea — Buddhism — Feudalism — War 
dictatorship — The  Fujiwaras,  Minamotos,  Kiyomori — 
Yoritomo — The  power  of  the  Emperors  (Mikado) 
passes  on  account  of  their  incapacity  into  the  hands 
of  the  war  dictators  (maire  de  palais)  or  the  Shoguns 
— Kublai-Khan — Emperor  Godaigo — Domination  of 
the  Ashikaga  family 33 

Chapter  VI 

The  first  arrival  of  Europeans — The  first  missionaries — 
Nobunaga — Hideyoshi — Iyeyasu  of  the  house  of  To- 
kugawa — Persecutions  of  Christians — War  with  China.  42 

Chapter  VII 

Nominal  power  of  the  Emperor,  living  in  Kyoto,  passes  in 
reality  to  the  Shoguns  (Taikuns)  of  the  Tokugawa 
family,  who  had  their  capital  in  Tokyo  (former  Yeddo) 

— Persecutions  of  Christians — Christian  uprising  in 
Shimabara  and  their  extermination  in  Japan — Clos- 
ing of  Japan  during  two  centuries,  under  the  regime  of 
Tokugawa  61 


6 


CONTENTS 


Chapter  VIII 

Awakening  of  Japan — Appearance  of  Europeans — Agita- 
tion against  foreigners — Fermentation — Restoration  of 
Imperial  power — Civil  war  finishes  by  the  defeat  of 
the  followers  of  the  Shogun,  who  retires  to  a monastery  72 
Chapter  IX 

The  now  reigning  Emperor  convokes  something  like  a par- 
liament— New  movement — Reforms — The  revolt  of 
Satsuma — Promulgation  of  Constitution — First  day  of 
the  Japanese  Parliament — War  with  China — Abolition 

of  consular  jurisdiction 82 

Chapter  X 

Condition  of  religion  in  Japan — Chances  of  Christianity. . . 96 

PART  SECOND 

PERSONAL  IMPRESSIONS 

Chapter  XI 

First  day  in  Japan — Kotje — European  quarter — Hiogo — 
Jinriksha — Street  life — Japanese  houses — Hot  springs 
of  Arima — Temple  of  Ikutonomiya — Monument  to  Ki- 


yomori — Osaka — Nara — Statue  of  Buddha 101 

Chapter  XII 

capital  of  Japan — Industrial  exhibition — Jubilee — 
Miako  odori — The  two  thousand-year-old  tree  in  Ka- 

rasaki — Arashi  Yama 117 

Chapter  XIII 


Nagoya — The  Shogun’s  palace  at  Nagoya — European  set- 
tlement in  Yokohama — Rivalry  of  English  and  Ger- 
mans— O Kin  San  dancers  and  singers — Siro  or  citadel 
in  Tokyo — Yashiki  or  palaces  of  the  feudal  lords — 
Ministries — The  Russian  and  English  Legations — The 


Orthodox  church — Bishop  Nicholas 134 

Chapter  XIV 

Street  life  in  Tokyo — Nakadori — Asakusa — Tokyo  high 

life — Imperial  family  146 

Chapter  XV 

The  reception-day  of  the  Marchioness  Ito — The  chrysan- 
themum (kiku)  festival  at  the  suburban  palace — New 
year’s  celebration  in  Tokyo — Cha-no-yu — Fires 155 


IN  NORTHERN  JAPAN 

Chapter  XVI 

Yusen  Kaisha  Company — Oginohama — Hakodate  Hospi- 
tal— Russian  mission — Colonial  Ministry — Fisheries — 
Fencing — Wrestlers — Nanai  farm 165 


CONTENTS 


7 


Chapter  XVII 

Mori — Mororan — The  daimio  of  Sendai  and  his  samurais 
— Soldiers’  settlements — Ainu — Their  home  life — Japa- 
nese Chicago — A ceremonious  Japanese  dinner — Poru- 
nai  mines  and  a penitentiary  colony — As  guest  in  a 


Japanese  house 175 

Chapter  XVIII 

From  Aomori  to  Tokyo — Reception  by  the  Governor  of 
Morioka — Women  wrestlers — A dinner  in  the  old 
ceremonial  style — Nikko 193 


Chapter  XIX 

In  the  mountains  of  Japan — European  Olympia — Pilgrims 
to  Chiuzenji — Through  the  mountains  on  foot — The 
joyful  town — Ascent  of  the  volcano  Asama  Yama — 
Miyanoshita — With  the  Japanese  pilgrims  to  the  holy 
mountain  205 


IN  SOUTHERN  JAPAN 

Chapter  XX 

The  role  of  Nagasaki  in  Japan’s  enlightenment — Euro- 
pean settlement — Arrival  of  the  Prime  Minister — 
Japanese  auction 224 

Chapter  XXI 

Trip  to  the  island  of  Kiushiu — A new  way  of  locomotion — 
Kagoshima,  residence  of  the  Satsuma  prince — Ancient 
war-dance — Kumamoto  and  the  Governor — The  cour- 
tesan quarter — Ascent  of  the  volcano  Aso-San — 


Shimabara,  the  last  stronghold  of  Christianity 232 

Chapter  XXII 

Popular  festivals  in  Nagasaki — Kompira  sama — Bon  Mat- 
suri,  or  the  festival  of  the  dead — Ninth-month  Matsuri 
before  the  temple  of  Osuwa 252 

Chapter  XXIII 

How  the  Dutch  traveled  from  Nagasaki  to  Tokyo — Kaemp- 
fer — Omura — Sasebo — Political  meeting  and  a lottery 
Miyajima,  Happy  Island,  where  death  is  banished. ...  262 


Chapter  XXIV 

Japanese  family  life — Birth — Sad  fate  of  women — Marriage 
— Adoption — Divorce — Hara-kiri — Funeral  of  a prince  274 

Chapter  XXV 

Various  Japanese  customs — Tattooing — Massage — Moksa 
Acupunctura — Jiujitsu — Superstitious  beliefs  and  for- 
tune-telling   287 


8 


CONTENTS 


PART  THIRD 

Chapter  XXVI 

Language — Written  language — Inconvenience  of  Chinese 
influence — Popular  instruction — Press — Literature — 
Novels  and  popular  literature — New  tendencies 293 

Chapter  XXVII 

Japanese  theatre — Origin  of  the  theatre — Comedy — Drama 
— Character  of  Japanese  dramatic  art — Celebrated 
actors — “No”  in  the  Mikado’s  palace 310 

Chapter  XXVIII 

Architecture — Art — Sculpture  — Painting — Decorative  art 
(ceramic,  enamel,  bronze) 327 

PART  FOURTH 

ECONOMICAL  AND  FINANCIAL  SITUATION  OF  JAPAN 

Chapter  XXIX 

Agriculture — Forestry — Fisheries — Mineral  wealth 339 

Chapter  XXX 

Manufactures  and  trade — Banking  and  stock  corporations 
— Railroads — Merchant  fleet 346 

Chapter  XXXI 

Foreign  trade — Finances — Gold  standard — The  budget  for 
the  last  years — Expenses  for  army  and  fleet — Public 
debt — Taxes  352 

Chapter  XXXII 

Labor  problem 358 

PART  FIFTH 

INTERNAL  AND  FOREIGN  POLICY 

Chapter  XXXIII 

The  working  of  the  Constitution — The  leading  men  of 
Japan — Parties  and  their  aspirations 361 

Chapter  XXXIV 

Foreign  policy — War  with  China — Revision  of  treaties — 
What  did  the  new  treaties  give  to  the  foreigners— 
Korean  events — Boxer  troubles — War  with  Russia 
and  its  consequences 377 

CHAPTER  XXXV 

Conclusions  390 


PART  FIRST 


PRELIMINARY  REMARKS 
Chapter  I 

Soil  — Geological  structure  — Volcanoes  — Earthquakes  — Min- 
erals— Climate — Typhoons — Flora — Fauna. 

The  Japanese  Archipelago  or  Dai-Nippon 
(Nihon)  stretches  like  three  garlands  of  a vine  along 
the  coasts  of  Siberia  and  northern  China. 

Containing  formerly  more  than  3,8°°  islands,  the 
largest  of  which  are  Yezo  or  Hokaido,  Hondo  or 
Nippon,  Shikoku,  Oki,  Loochoo  and  Formosa,  the 
Japanese  Empire  covers  an  area  of  161,119  square 
miles,  with  a population  of  46,540,754.  The  Japan- 
ese group  of  islands  probably  formed  a part  of  the 
mainland  of  Asia,  as  shown  by  the  fact  that  the 
coasts  toward  Asia  slope  with  a slight,  almost  im- 
perceptible, incline  to  the  mainland,  while  the  Pa- 
cific coast  sinks  abruptly  to  a great  depth.  The 
soundings  of  the  Japanese  Sea  do  not  exceed  3,500 
meters  at  its  greatest  depths,  and  the  outline  con- 
figuration of  the  islands  stretching  like  stepping- 
stones  from  Japan  to  Korea  tend  to  confirm  the  sup- 
position of  the  former  connection  of  Japan  with  the 
mainland,  while  the  depth  on  the  east  coast  of  Japan 
reaches  8,515  meters  (the  height  of  the  Himalayas). 


10 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


Two-thirds  of  the  surface  of  Japan  is  mountainous 
and  indicates  a volcanic  origin,  and  at  present  there 
are  many  active  volcanoes.  Many  of  the  highest 
peaks  were  active  volcanoes  not  long  ago,  for  in- 
stance the  last  eruption  of  Fuji  Yama  occurred  in 
1708,  and  every  one  remembers  the  eruption  of  the 
extinct  volcano  Bandai  San  a few  years  ago.  The 
abundance  of  hot  springs,  geysers,  frequent  earth- 
quakes (in  the  year  1855,  104,000  persons  perished 
in  Tokyo  and  14,241  houses  were  destroyed),  the 
tidal  waves  engulfing  thousands  of  victims — all 
prove  that  the  volcanic  activity  has  not  ceased  at  the 
present  time. 

In  regard  to  material  wealth,  already  in  the  time 
of  Genghi  Khan  Japan  was  renowned  for  its  abund- 
ance of  gold  and  silver,  and  Japanese  copper — 
thanks  to  the  admixture  of  gold — formed  the  prin- 
cipal article  of  export  of  the  Dutch  in  Dezima.  Be- 
sides, there  are  sulphur,  lead,  iron,  very  rich  coal 
fields  (in  Kiushiu  and  Yezo),  and  petroleum. 
Stretching  from  Kamchatka  to  South  China,  Japan 
possesses  a great  diversity  of  climate.  The  rigor- 
ous cold  of  the  Kurile  Islands  is  in  manifest  con- 
trast to  the  soft  warmth  of  the  south,  with  its  orange 
groves,  pineapples,  bananas  and  sugar  cane.  The 
climate  is  a reflection  of  that  of  the  neighboring 
mainland,  with  hot,  damp  summers  and  cold,  clear 
winters ; but  these  conditions  are  tempered  by  the  sea 
and  especially  by  the  equatorial  current  called  the 
Kuro  Si vo,  which  produces  in  Japan  a fresher 
summer  and  a more  clement  and  damp  winter  than 
on  the  mainland.  Thanks  to  the  change  of  the 
monsoons,  the  central  part  of  Japan  enjoys  a com- 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


11 


paratively  healthy  temperature.  Decidedly  the  best 
seasons  are  the  autumn  and  winter  with  their  clear 
days  and  invigorating  air.  The  spring  brings 
rains,  and  whole  weeks  without  the  sight  of  the 
sun,  varied,  however,  by  bright  days.  The  summer 
temperature  does  not  rise  above  36  (Reom.)  but 
the  heat  is  so  charged  with  humidity  that  it  is  like 
a continual  steam  bath,  which  is  very  debilitating 
to  Europeans,  who  after  a lengthy  stay  in  Japan 
suffer  from  anaemia  and  bad  liver.  At  this  season 
there  is  a general  exodus  to  the  mountains  in  search 
of  a more  invigorating  atmosphere. 

In  order  to  complete  this  picture  one  must  say  a 
word  about  the  cyclones  or  typhoons  (Japanese 
great  winds)  which  sweep  with  tremendously  de- 
structive force  over  the  sea  and  coast.  Only  he  who 
has  seen  such  storms  can  believe  when  he  hears  of 
ships  being  cast  far  up  on  the  beach,  of  great  build- 
ings converted  into  ruins,  and  massive  granite 
quays  lifted  by  the  waves  to  a height  of  several 
yards. 

The  familiarity  of  all  with  the  richness  and  va- 
riety of  Japanese  flora  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the 
first  travelers  in  the  country,  beginning  with  Kaemp- 
fer,  were  botanists.  Owing  to  the  moisture  of  the 
atmosphere  the  luxurious  subtropical  vegetation — 
bamboo,  palms,  camellias  and  laurel — are  found  side 
by  side  with  the  vegetation  of  the  north.  Abund- 
ant rains  in  the  summer  give  two  harvests  to  the 
agriculturist  of  the  south. 

The  fruit  trees,  such  as  the  cherry,  are  used  more 
for  decorative  purposes  than  for  the  fruit.  The 
blossoming  of  the  cherry  trees,  beginning  in  April, 


12 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


is  a veritable  feast  for  the  eye.  In  May  the  whole 
world  goes  to  gaze  on  the  mass  of  blooming  wistaria, 
peonies,  and  azaleas.  In  this  month,  according  to 
the  climate,  begins  the  planting  of  the  rice. 

In  September  the  brilliant  color  effects  of  the  for- 
ests are  beautiful  beyond  description.  The  varied 
hues  of  the  changing  maple,  wild  grape  vine,  cherry, 
prune,  Rhus  toxicodendron,  Acer  polimorphum,  and 
birch,  shading  from  the  darkest  purples  and  browns 
to  the  brightest  reds  and  yellows,  throw  their  beauty 
in  high  relief  against  the  dark  background  of  the 
subtropical  vegetation.  In  November  begins  the 
flowering  of  different  varieties  of  camellias,  Aralia 
Japonica,  Thea  Chinensis,  and  others.  .These  won- 
derful landscape  effects  have  had  much  to  do  with 
the  high  artistic  temperament  of  the  Japanese,  who 
feel  the  beauty  of  nature  and’  find  in  her  ever  new 
and  higher  inspiration. 

As  for  wild  animals,  there  exist  only  the  bear  (in 
the  mountains  of  the  north),  the  wolf,  the  fox — 
which  plays  a great  role  in  Japanese  folk-lore — the 
wild  boar,  the  monkey,  etc.  There  are  many  insects, 
and  especially  disagreeable  are  the  mosquitoes. 
Among  the  birds  of  prey  are  eagles,  falcons,  and 
vultures.  There  are  sparrows,  swallows,  Japanese 
nightingales,  and  the  common  stork,  which  figures 
in  all  Japanese  pictures.  The  hunter  finds  the  elk, 
hare,  pheasants,  snipe,  and  wild  duck.  The  sea  is 
filled  with  fish,  of  which  the  best  known  is  the  Tai 
( Serramus  marginalis) , with  its  white  and  delicate 
meat,  and  in  the  south  the  sea  teems  with  jelly-fish. 
Domestic  animals,  such  as  the  dog,  ox,  horse,  sheep, 
and  goat,  came  originally  from  China.  Until  the 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  13 

arrival  of  Europeans  the  horned  cattle  were  used 
only  as  beasts  of  burden.  The  Japanese  did  not 
consume  meat  and  despised  milk  products.  As  for 
fertilizers,  the  Japanese  have  used  from  time  im- 
memorial fish  manure,  human  and  other  excrements, 
which  they  collect  in  wells  or  pits  in  the  fields,  and 
which  fill  the  air  with  obnoxious  odors  at  the  season 
when  it  is  brought  forth  to  be  poured  over  the  rice 
fields. 

Sheep  culture  in  Japan  is  still  in  its  infancy. 
Formerly  Japan  was  renowned  for  its  silk  industry. 
The  abundance  of  cotton  explains  the  fact  that 
woolen  material  is  mostly  imported,  and  only  of  late 
impulse  has  been  given  by  the  Government  to  the 
manufacture  of  woolen  goods.  In  a few  lines  I have 
given  the  principal  characteristics  of  the  country, 
the  field  of  action  of  the  Japanese  people. 

Now  let  us  glance  at  its  history. 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH 


Chapter  II 

Origin  of  the  Japanese — The  Koro-pok-guru  or  Tzutzi  Gumo 
(spider-people) — The  Ainos  — Malay  or  Mongolian?  — 
Archeological  discoveries. 

The  history  of  Japan  should  begin  with  the  ques- 
tion of  the  origin  of  the  Japanese.  Were  they  abor- 
igines of  the  country  or  invaders  who  found  there  a 
more  ancient  race?  To  what  race  do  the  Japanese 
belong  and  where  was  their  original  home?  In 
the  Ko-ji-ki  (ancient  Chronicles  of  Japan)  the  fabu- 
lous element  is  so  predominant  that  it  is  difficult  for 
the  historian  to  separate  fiction  from  reality.  Ko-ji-ki 
(71 1 A.  D.)  describes  events  of  the  eighth  century 
B.  C.  from  cosmogony  passes  to  the  descendant  of 
the  Sun  Goddess  Jimmu  Tenno,  the  founder  of  the 
reigning  dynasty.  Jimmu  Tenno  and  his  descend- 
ants, whose  reigns  sometimes  extended  over  a hun- 
dred years,  have  a mythical  character,  but  in  myths 
there  must  be  a grain  of  historical  truth.  Ko-ji-ki 
tells  of  the  arrival  of  Jimmu  in  Japan  at  the  head  of 
an  army.  The  audacious  conqueror  was  not  stopped 
by  the  storms  on  the  sea  or  by  the  sickness  of  his 
warriors.  In  this  history  Jimmu  is  represented  un- 
der the  aspect  of  a valorous  Norman  viking,  or 
rather  a sea  pirate  such  as  abounded  in  China.  The 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


15 


warriors  of  Jimmu  had  to  fight  the  Tzutzi  Gumo 
(land  spiders),  who  lived  in  inaccessible  places,  and 
his  descendants  continued  this  warfare  with  a north- 
ern race  called  Yezo,  yebissi,  yemissi.  In  these 
northern  tribe  one  easily  recognizes  the  Ainos,  who 
in  olden  times  were  in  possession  not  only  of  Yezo 
but  of  the  island  of  Nippon.  Many  geographical 
names  clearly  demonstrate  their  Aino  origin. 

Professor  Chamberlain  traced  Aino  names  in 
eight  provinces,  proving  that  the  Aino  reached  to  the 
south  of  Japan  and  went  as  far  as  Kiushiu. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  island  of  Oshima,  not  far 
from  the  capital  of  the  empire,  according  to  Deoder- 
lein,  are  easily  distinguishable  from  the  Japanese 
type  by  the  abundant  growth  of  hair  on  the  face,  and 
they  resemble  very  much  the  Aino.  Women  of  Osh- 
ima tattoo  themselves  even  at  the  present  time.  The 
historical  “Chronicle  of  Nihongi”  (720  A.  D.)  says 
that  during  the  reign  of  Keiko  the  general  Take-no- 
utzi  returned  from  the  land  of  the  Aino.  In  658  A. 
D.  the  Japanese  fleet,  composed  of  one  hundred  and 
eighty  junks,  fell  on  the  Ainos  living  on  the  west- 
ern part  of  the  main  island  Nippon.  About  this 
time  a couple  of  Ainos,  as  types  of  hairy  people, 
were  sent  as  a great  curiosity  to  the  Chinese  em- 
peror. The  Chinese  historians  of  the  Khan  dynasty 
already  speak  of  the  Ainos  as  a hairy  people  living 
beyond  the  eastern  sea.  In  the  year  801  A.  D.  the 
Japanese  General  Tamura  Maru  conquered  the 
Ainos  on  the  eastern  part  of  Nippon.  The  last  ex- 
pedition was  in  81 1 A.  D.  The  Ainos,  pushed  to  the 
north  by  the  Japanese,  submitted  to  their  conquer- 
ors and  mingled  with  them.  The  Japanese,  as  seen 


16  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

by  these  facts,  can  not  be  called  the  primitive  race 
of  the  country.  On  the  contrary  everything  proves 
that  they  encountered  great  resistance  on  the  part 
of  the  alien  races,  of  which  the  Ainos  occupied  the 
first  place.  The  origin  of  the  Ainos,  notwithstand- 
ing the  numerous  researches,  remains  still  an  un- 
solved question.  The  study  of  the  Japanese  and 
Aino  language  shows  that  they  have  nothing  in 
common,  in  spite  of  frequent  borrowing  from  each 
other.  A similarity  exists  between  the  Aino  and 
the  language  of  the  inhabitants  of  Kamchatka  and 
Amur  country.  The  Giliaks,  like  the  Ainos,  consider 
the  bear  a divinity  and  celebrate  a festival  in  his 
honor.  Siebold  (“Nippon,”  VI,  pt.  222)  gives  the 
information  of  the  Japanese  traveler  Mamia  Rinso 
that  in  the  vicinity  of  De  Castrie  exist  tribes  called 
Sirno-Aino,  Aino,  and  Menassi-Aino. 

Other  investigators,  like  Peschel,  think  that  the 
Ainos  did  not  come  from  the  north  but  from  the 
Philippines.  Among  the  Ainos  themselves  exists 
a tradition  that  their  forefathers  came  from  the 
northeast  islands  (Kurile).  According  to  this  tra- 
dition they  found  in  Japan  a nation  of  dwarfs, 
called  Koro-pok-guru,  living  in  round  pits  which 
they  dug  in  the  earth  and  covered  with  roofs  of 
bark.  They  were  clothed  in  skins,  used  stone  imple- 
ments, and  knew  how  to  make  pottery.  The  Japan- 
ese chronicle  speaks  several  times  of  earth  spiders 
or  people  living  in  the  earth.  The  Japanese  called 
them  also  Kobito  (small  people)  or  dwarfs.  Thus 
the  Japanese  testimony  coincides  with  the  oral  tra- 
dition of  the  Ainos,  who  have  no  written  language. 
The  Aino  tradition  speaks  of  these  dwarfs  as  being 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  17 

very  numerous,  but  that  they  were  annihilated'  by 
the  Ainos. 

The  archeological  discoveries  seem  to  confirm 
these  traditions.  Everywhere  in  Japan,  beginning 
with  northern  Yezo  down  to  Kiushiu,  are  found 
what  is  known  in  science  as  Kjokkenmoddings ; 
that  is,  heaps  of  shells  with  stone  implements  and 
broken  pottery.  These  discoveries  were  made  in 
caves  and  round  pits,  which  served  as  dwellings. 
According  to  Milne  (Trans,  of  the  Asiatic  Society 
of  Japan,  VIII,  pt.  I),  in  Otarunai,  Hakodate,  and 
in  Nippon  these  pits  or  earth  dwellings  were  of  a 
perfectly  round  form,  about  eight  feet  in  diameter 
and  three  feet  deep,  and  constructed  with  a certain 
regularity.  Near  the  pits  were  found  a great  quan- 
tity of  roughly  made  stone  arrows  of  obsidian  and 
jasper,  polished  axes  of  slate,  earth,  pottery,  and 
kitchen  remains.  In  the  stone  implements  there  is 
a difference  noticeable  between  those  found  in  Hako- 
date and  Otarunai.  In  the  latter  place  they  are  more 
highly  polished.  In  the  kitchen  rests  were  found 
shells,  together  with  bits  of  broken  pottery,  and 
broken  bones,  implements  of  horn  and  stone,  and 
other  articles  serving  as  ornaments. 

Professor  Morse,  comparing  these  shells,  found 
that  in  comparison  with  those  of  to-day  there  is  a 
great  change — many  of  these  species  are  more  num- 
erous, many  have  disappeared  altogether,  and  some 
species  have  grown  larger  in  size.  The  earthen- 
ware is  adorned  with  drawings;  and  bones  of  fish, 
birds,  monkeys,  deer,  dogs,  wolves,  and  pigs  were 
found  in  the  heaps.  In  some  places  the  presence  of 
human  bones  points  to  cannibalism. 


18  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

These  pits  are  often  arranged  in  regular  lines 
along  the  banks  of  a stream,  forming  something  of 
a fortified  position  or  fortress,  and  some  of  them 
occupy  inaccessible  positions  on  the  mountains.  In 
some  of  these  pits  were  found  black  earth  and  sand, 
and  mixed  with  it  were  pieces  of  coal  and  pieces  of 
burnt  earth,  which  indicates  a hearth  in  the  center. 
Stone  implements  in  the  form  of  arrows,  missiles, 
and  hammers  were  found  in  great  quantities.  It 
is  very  probable  that  two  thousand  years  ago  bloody 
battles  were  fought  in  these  places. 

The  hairy  Ainos  came  here  from  the  mouth  of  the 
river  in  their  canoes,  made  of  hollowed  trunks  of 
trees.  They  had  to  take  by  assault  the  heights, 
which  were  occupied  by  this  unknown  race.  Mis- 
siles and  arrows  flew  in  clouds  against  the  besieg- 
ing Ainos,  but  they  were  on  their  guard',  and  tak- 
ing one  entrenchment  after  another  chased  the 
frightened  Koro-pok-guru  to  the  mountains.  The 
same  pits  and  similar  archeological  findings  are  met 
in  the  Kurile  Islands  and  the  Amur  region.  To 
what  nation  belonged  these  kitchen  rests  ? Certainly 
not  to  the  Manchu  kingdom  of  Bohai,  which  the 
Chinese  historians  speak  of  as  being  a flourishing 
country  on  the  shores  of  the  eastern  sea.  To  this 
people  may  belong  those  monuments  of  a higher  civ- 
ilization, discovered  by  Busse  in  the  Amur  region. 
The  kitchen  remains,  and  pit  dwellings  found  in 
Japan,  in  Saghalien  and  on  the  Amur,  denote  the 
primitive  inhabitant  who  has  only  passed  into  the 
neolithic  period  of  history.  On  such  low  plane  one 
finds  at  present  the  Koriaks  in  Ghijighinsk  men- 
tioned by  Ressin  (“Sketches  of  Tribes  on  the  Rus- 
sian Coast  of  the  Pacific  Ocean”)  as  living  in  pits. 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  19 

From  all  these  facts  the  following  conclusions  can 
be  made:  1.  Archeological  discoveries  confirm  the 

traditions  of  the  Japanese  and  Ainos  of  the  exist- 
ence in  Japan  of  a numerous  people  anterior  to  the 
Japanese;  2.  .The  culture  of  these  Koro-pok-guru 
living  in  caves  and  pits  like  those  actually  existing 
of  the  neolithic  period  of  the  stone  age;  3.  The 
kitchen  remains,  stone  implements,  found  simulta- 
neously in  Japan,  and  in  Saghalien  and  the  Amur 
region,  show  that  a similar  culture  reigned  in  all 
these  countries ; 4.  That  the  Japanese  and  the  Ainos 
were  not  the  aborigines  of  the  country.  The  Ainos 
probably  found  in  Yezo  and  in  other  parts  of  Japan 
the  aborigines,  conquered  them,  and  later  they  in 
turn  were  driven  by  the  Japanese  to  the  north, 
where  they  live  to  the  present  time.  Now  the  ques- 
tion to  be  decided  is  of  the  origin  of  the  Japanese 
themselves.  This  question  has  been  examined  from 
an  archeological  standpoint  by  Siebold,  from  a zoo- 
logical by  Blackstone,  from  a geological  by  Milne, 
from  a philological  by  Parker,  and  from  an  anthrop- 
ological by  Baelz. 

Dr.  Baelz  (“Korperliche  Eigensschaften  der 
Japaner  Mitth.,”  D.  Ges.  Ost.  Heft,  28  S.,  330) 
thinks  that  three  distinct  races  can  be  distinguished 
in  the  present  Japanese:  (1)  The  Ainos,  the  first 
inhabitants  of  the  north  and  middle  Japan,  having 
but  few  representatives;  (2)  the  Mongolian  race, 
resembling  the  Chinese  and  Koreans,  who  came 
probably  from  Korea  to  the  southwestern  part  of 
the  island.  They  are  dolicocephalic,  of  slender  stat- 
ure, with  a long  face  and  nose  and  small  mouth; 


20  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

(3)  another  Mongolian  tribe,  resembling  the  Ma- 
lays, who  having  settled  first  in  Kiushiu  went  over 
to  the  mainland.  They  are  large,  thick-set,  brachy- 
cephalic,  with  broad  face,  flat  nose  and  thick 
mouth.  Representatives  of  this  type  are  found 
among  the  natives  of  Satsuma,  and  in  the  Imperial 
family.  There  is  no  doubt  that  such  a division  is 
problematic  and  need's  verification.  Every  one  who 
has  been  in  Japan  remarks  several  fundamental 
types.  Sometimes  you  have  before  you  a pure- 
blooded  Mongolian  with  high  cheek  bones  and  slant- 
ing eyes  and  another  time  it  is  difficult  to  decide  if 
an  Annamese  or  a native  of  Java  is  before  you.  The 
Cambodians,  also  having  absorbed  Mongolian  type, 
resemble  the  Japanese  as  one  drop  of  water  another. 
Doenitz  finds  a great  resemblance  between  the  Jap- 
anese and  the  Malays.  The  Malay  houses  built  on 
piles,  according  to  him,  recall  the  Japanese  buildings. 
Admitting  the  possibility,  that  Malays  were  carried 
by  the  sea  current  to  the  coast  of  Japan,  one  should 
see  in  the  inhabitants  of  Loochoo  a family  likeness 
to  the  Malays.  But  this  is  not  the  case,  the  Looch- 
oans  resemble  more  the  Koreans. 

From  a philological  standpoint  the  Japanese  lan- 
guage has  nothing  in  common  with  the  Malay  or 
Polynesians  and  the  Japanese.  The  Hula-Hula  of 
the  Sandwich  islanders  reminds  one  of  the  Japanese 
Djonkine,  and  the  massage  of  the  Kanaks  is  little 
different  from  the  Japanese  massage,  but  on  such 
foundations  one  can  not  make  any  conclusions. 
There  are  always  analogous  customs  between  na- 
tions. Even  the  language  can  not  decide  the  ques- 
tion of  the  origin  of  nations.  Often  the  conqueror 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  21 

adopts  the  language  of  the  conquered,  as  in  the  case 
of  the  Bulgarians  and  many  others.  If  we  limit 
ourselves  to  the  philological  data  then  we  must  con- 
clude that  the  Japanese  are  offshoots  of  the  Chinese 
race.  Parker  proves  that  a great  number  of  the 
Japanese  words  (500)  resemble  the  Chinese  or  have 
an  identical  root,  while  many  groups  of  words  show 
a strong  relationship  to  the  Korean.  The  idiom  of 
southern  Korea  shows  a decided  resemblance  to  the 
Japanese. 

The  philological  data  pointing  to  an  emigration 
from  Korea  are  confirmed  by  Chinese  chronicles, 
which  state  that  in  the  year  1200  B.  C.  Tatar  or 
Uralo-Altai  tribes  took  Korea  and  the  neighboring 
islands.  Chinese  authors  also  state  that  Japanese 
are  descended  from  the  Chinese  Prince  .Taipa  and 
that  a Chinese  colony  established  itself  in  Japan  in 
the  year  219  B.  C.  Chinese  call  Japan  the  country 
of  small  people  or  dwarfs.  Whatever  may  have 
been  the  origin  of  the  Japanese,  the  influence  of 
Chinese  culture  shows  itself  at  a very  early  period 
and  many  Chinese  myths  have  been  borrowed  by 
the  Japanese.  Thus  philological,  ethnographical, 
and  some  historical  facts  point  to  emigration  from 
Korea.  If  one  believes  the  testimony  of  an  old 
chronicle,  they  were  sea  pirates,  such  as  still  exist 
in  the  Chinese  seas. 


Chapter  III 


Prehistoric  condition  of  the  Japanese  as  represented  by  the 
ancient  Chronicles,  Ko-ji-ki. 

The  Japanese,  as  seen  in  the  Ko-ji-ki,  had  already- 
attained  a certain  degree  of  culture.  They  knew 
how  to  work  in  iron,  and  made  swords,  lances,  iron 
door  braces,  etc.  It  is  astonishing  that  the  Chroni- 
cles have  passed  in  silence  such  important  instru- 
ments as  the  saw  and  axe,  and  mentions  the  pestle, 
the  mortar,  the  scythe,  and  the  shuttle  for  weaving. 

They  lived  scattered  on  the  shores  of  streams. 
Besides  houses,  temples  and  palaces  are  mentioned. 
Satow  says  that  the  palace  of  the  Citizen  of  Heaven 
and  the  descendants  of  the  Sun  Goddess  was  very 
simple.  The  columns  and  frames  for  windows  and 
doors,  as  also  the  walls,  were  tied  with  knotted  ropes 
of  climbing  plants  ( P tier  aria  Thunbergiana,  or  Wis- 
taria, Sinensis  fugi).  The  floor  was  on  a level  with 
the  ground,  an  easy  access  to  serpents  and  other 
creeping  things.  It  is  very  probable  that  there  was 
no  wooden  floor,  only  a wooden  bench  around  the 
wall,  which  was  used  for  sleeping,  such  as  one  sees 
now  in  Annam  and  Cambodia.  The  roof  was 
thatched  with  straw,  with  an  opening  in  the  top  for 
the  escape  of  smoke.  The  doors  were  on  hinges, 
the  windows  very  small,  and  skins  or  matting  and 
sometimes  silk  materials  were  spread  on  the  floor 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


23 


for  seats.  Buildings  on  piles,  such  as  exist  even 
now  in  Japan,  and  hedges  are  mentioned'  in  the 
Chronicles.  Cleanliness,  a characteristic  of  modern 
Japanese,  existed  at  that  time,  for  the  Chronicles 
speak  of  their  bathing  in  the  river  and  of  women 
whose  duty  it  was  to  bathe  the  Imperial  children. 

Their  food  consisted  of  meat,  fish  and  rice.  Once 
only  millet,  beans,  barley,  and  silkworms  are  men- 
tioned. Chamberlain  thinks  that  this  is  an  insertion 
of  a later  date.  The  rice  brandy  (sake)  has  been 
known  by  the  Japanese  from  the  earliest  period  of 
their  history.  The  food  was  served  in  leaves  or  in 
earthen  pottery,  and  tables  according  to  European 
ideas  are  even  now  little  in  use  by  the  Japanese, 
although  small  low  tables  are  employed  for  sacrificial 
purposes. 

Their  dress  showed  a certain  elegance.  The 
Chronicles  speak  of  basques,  broad  loose  trousers, 
belts,  hats,  coverings,  bracelets,  necklaces,  and  head 
ornaments  made  of  stone.  The  stuffs  were  made 
of  hemp  or  the  bark  of  the  silk  tree  dyed  with 
madder.  The  Chinese  commentator  says  that  the 
Japanese  in  the  fourth  century  did  not  know  the 
needle. 

The  horse,  whose  name  is  borrowed  from  the 
Chinese,  the  household  birds  and'  the  cormorant  used 
for  fishing  are  the  only  domestic  animals  mentioned 
in  the  Chronicles.  Later  there  is  a hint  of  dogs  and 
cattle,  but  not  a word  is  spoken  of  cats,  pigs,  or 
sheep.  In  the  long  list  of  trees  there  is  no  mention 
of  either  the  prune  or  tea  plant.  The  orange  is 
spoken  of  as  coming  from  the  land  of  eternity.  In 
that  time  the  Japanese  did  not  know  tea,  fans,  china, 


24  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

lacquerware,  or  carriages,  they  had  no  chronology, 
no  money,  med'icine,  or  art  of  writing. 

It  is  a curious  fact  that  they  did  not  make  any 
difference  between  blue  and  green.  They  speak  of 
the  blue  clouds,  blue  sea,  but  never  of  the  blue 
heaven. 

In  the  Chronicles  also  there  is  no  difference  be- 
tween the  word  for  wife,  or  younger  sister,  as  mar- 
riage with  the  sister  was  quite  a common  thing.  A 
similar  custom  exists  now  in  the  Siamese  royal  fam- 
ily. The  citizens  had  many  wives.  The  Chronicles 
make  no  difference  between  wife  and  concubine,  and 
there  was  no  marriage  ceremony.  Burials  were 
conducted  with  a certain  form  and  when  the  master 
of  the  house  died  the  house  was  deserted  by  the  sur- 
vivors. They  buried  their  dead  in  wooden  coffins. 
We  know  also  from  the  Chronicles  that  royal  per- 
sonages were  buried  together  with  their  retainers, 
who  were  buried  alive  up  to  their  necks.  This  cus- 
tom, mentioned  by  Herodotus  in  speaking  of  the 
Scythians,  existed  in  Japan  till  the  year  646,  and 
only  when  the  Emperor  expressed  the  desire  that  this 
cruel  custom  should  be  abolished  did  one  of  the 
courtiers  conceive  the  happy  thought  of  burying 
statues  or  figures  in  place  of  living  persons.  They 
were  buried  in  mounds,  some  of  which  assume  great 
proportions,  as  the  one  of  Kaudziki,  which  is  96 
feet  high,  372  feet  long  and  284  feet  broad.  It  con- 
sists of  three  parts,  with  a corridor  of  33  feet,  after 
which  is  a room  for  sacrifices  24  feet  long,  and  be- 
yond another  room  6 feet  deep.  The  corridor  and 
room  are  faced  with  stones  without  cement.  In  the 
small  room  were  found  seventeen  pieces  of  pottery, 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


25 


bronze  head  ornaments  for  a horse,  stirrups,  arrows, 
lances,  beads,  a small  gold  ring,  and  a bronze  mirror. 

Before  we  finish  with  the  prehistoric  condition  of 
the  Japanese  we  must  say  a word  of  the  recorded 
lack  of  moral  principle  and  of  the  ease  with  which 
they  committed  all  sorts  of  felonious  acts,  breaking 
their  word,  seeking  an  enemy  in  the  guise  of  friend- 
ship, and  killing  him  during  his  sleep,  all  this  being 
permissible  toward  one  of  another  race. 


Chapter  IV 


Cosmogony  of  the  Japanese — Shintoism. 

The  first  chapter  of  the  Ko-ji-ki  of  the  Japanese 
Bible  is  dedicated  to  the  theogony  of  the  Japanese. 
In  the  beginning  of  creation  there  were  in  heaven 
the  Deity,  Master  of  the  August  Center  Heaven; 
next,  The  High-August-Producing  Wondrous 
Deity;  next,  the  Divine-Producing  Wondrous  Deity. 
The  deities  that  came  next  were  born  from  a thing 
that  sprouted  up  like  a reed,  when  the  earth  was 
young  and  like  unto  floating  oil,  drifting  about  Me- 
dusa-like. They  came  in  seven  (some  say  twelve) 
pairs.  The  last  two  deities,  Izanagi  and  Izanami, 
were  ordered  by  all  the  heavenly  deities  to  make,  to 
consolidate,  and  to  give  birth  to  this  drifting  land, 
granting  to  them  a heavenly  jewelled  spear.  The 
two  deities  standing  on  the  Floating  Bridge  of 
Heaven  (cloud)  pushed  down  the  jewelled  spear, 
and  stirred  with  it  the  brine.  From  a drop  that  drip- 
ped down  the  spear  was  created  the  island  Onogoro 
— the  future  base  of  operations  of  the  two  gods. 
They  settled  on  this  island,  raised  a column  reaching 
to  heaven,  built  a house  and  contracted  marriage. 
From  this  union  sprang  Japan’s  many  islands,  the 
sea,  rivers,  valleys  and  a numerous  host  of  spirits. 
When  Izanagi,  Orpheus-like,  went  in  search  of  his 
wife  in  the  land  of  sleep,  he  found  there  such  filth 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  27 

and  foulness  that  he  hastened  to  return,  and  during 
the  ceremony  of  purification  two  deities,  cause  of 
all  evil,  were  created.  After  his  purification  there 
sprang  into  being  two  spirits  to  correct  the  evil  and 
also  Amaterasu,  the  Sun  Goddess,  the  lineal  descend- 
ant of  whom  is  the  Mikado. 

There  is  an  interesting  myth.  The  Sun  Goddess, 
persecuted  by  her  brother  Susano,  hid  in  a cave. 
Darkness  reigned  and  all  on  earth  was  confusion. 
All  the  Kami  were  perplexed,  until  the  Deity  of 
Metals  conceived  the  brilliant  idea  of  making  a metal 
mirror,  that  the  Sun  Goddess  might  gaze  on  her 
beauty  and  see  something  that  resembled  the  sun. 
Another  deity  was  instructed  to  prepare  precious 
stone  cuttings,  of  paper,  and  several  musical  instru- 
ments. Then  began  the  dance  and  the  music.  The 
Sun  Goddess  peeped  out  of  the  cave  and  they  dis- 
played the  mirror  before  her.  When  she  came  out 
they  seized  her  and  conducted  her  to  a separate 
house,  which  was  protected  from  bad  spirits  by  a 
straw  rope. 

The  theogony  of  the  Ko-ji-ki,  resembling  the  sun 
myths  of  other  nations,  was  the  foundation  of  Shin- 
toism— the  national  religion  of  the  Japanese.  The 
corner-stone  of  the  doctrine  resembles  the  Chinese 
cult  of  ancestors  and  souls,  great  men,  heroes,  who 
are  elevated  to  the  dignity  of  deities  (Kami).  From 
the  followers  bodily  cleanliness  is  demanded,  above 
all.  Leaders  of  the  army,  scientists,  benefactors, 
and  others  of  note  can  be  elevated  for  extraordinary 
sendees  to  the  rank  of  deities,  and  the  Mikado  and 
his  councillors  designate  the  place  they  will  occupy 
in  the  Pantheon  of  Shintoism.  The  Japanese  them- 


28 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


selves  recognize  that  Shintoism  is  not  a religion  in 
the  accepted  sense  of  the  word.  Kato,  the  president 
of  the  University  corporation,  admits  that  Shintoism 
is  not  a religion  but  a system  of  worship  of  ances- 
tors, the  Imperial  family  and  souls  of  dead  heroes. 
Thus  the  cult  is  tightly  bound  to  the  Imperial  house. 

The  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  explains  officially 
that  Shintoism,  being  bound  so  closely  to  the  Em- 
peror, appears  to  be  only  a family  cult  of  the  court 
and  that  the  officials  attached  to  the  Shinto  temples 
in  reality  have  no  religious  obligations.  Shinto 
is  no  religion,  says  the  Official  Gazette,  solely  a cult, 
the  object  of  which  is  to  preserve  to  posterity  the 
memory  of  people  who  have  rendered  service  to 
the  Imperial  family  or  country.  The  cult  of  the 
Kami  consists  of  numerous  ceremonies,  prayers,  and 
sacrifices,  which  are  called  Norito.  Satow,  an  au- 
thority on  Shintoism,  says  that  there  are  many  such 
Norito.  In  the  tenth  century  (927)  there  were 
about  thirty  of  these  ceremonies:  1.  Prayer  for 

harvest;  2,  Glorification  of  the  gods  Cary;  3,  To  the 
goddess  of  food;  4,  The  god  of  wind;  5,  Service  in 
the  temple  of  Imaki;  6,  Service  in  the  temples  of 
Kudo  and  Furuaki;  7,  Half-yearly  services;  8, 
Wishes  for  the  happiness  of  the  High  Court;  9, 
Mikado  Matsuri;  10,  General  purification  on  the  last 
day  of  the  sixth  month ; 1 1,  Ceremony  of  the  presen- 
tation of  the  sword  of  the  Mikado  by  the  pupils  of 
Yamato;  12,  The  calming  of  the  fire;  13,  Propitia- 
tion of  the  god  of  plague;  14,  Celebration  of  the 
harvest;  15,  Calming  of  the  spirits  in  sanctity;  16-24, 
Ceremonies  in  the  temple  of  Ise;  25,  Propitiation  of 
avenging  gods;  26,  Sacrifices  on  the  occasion  of  the 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


29 


sending  of  an  embassy  to  China;  27,  Felicitations 
of  the  chiefs  of  Izumo.  Prayers  for  harvest  were 
celebrated  with  great  solemnity  on  the  fourth  day 
of  the  second  month,  in  the  presence  of  high  official 
dignitaries,  priests,  and  priestessess  of  573  temples. 
Satow  finds  it  difficult  to  give  the  exact  number  of 
deities  celebrated  in  3,132  temples.  Every  place  has 
its  particular  god  or  saint  and  the  ceremonies  are 
greatly  varied.  The  celebration  of  Kazga  Matsuri 
was  performed  with  great  pomp.  A great  tent  was 
erected  on  the  spot  near  the  river  where  the  cere- 
mony took  place.  The  priestess  arrived  in  a chariot 
drawn  by  oxen.  The  procession  was  formed  of  a 
hundred  and  forty  people,  beginning  with  citizens 
and  dignitaries,  carrying  white  poles,  after  which 
followed  the  chariot  of  the  high  priestess  with  eight 
attendants  dressed  in  hemp.  Boys  in  brown  capes, 
pages  in  white  garments,  and  other  followers  car- 
ried parasols  and  fans.  Then  followed  ten  more 
attendants,  a subject  for  the  sacrifice,  two  carriages 
with  the  ladies-in-waiting  of  the  priestess,  and  the 
envoy  of  the  Emperor.  Finally  the  presents  of  the 
Emperor  and  aliments,  and  bringing  up  the  rear 
seven  carriages  with  the  female  suite  of  the  priestess. 

The  presentation  of  the  Mikado’s  gifts  took  place 
with  great  ceremony.  After  the  placing  of  them  in 
the  hands  of  the  young  vestal  (monoimi)  the  envoy 
of  the  Emperor  and  other  high  dignitaries  (405) 
seated  themselves  while  the  high  priest  read  the 
prayer,  bowing  twice,  and  clapping  his  hands  four 
times.  Grooms  conducted  seven  times  around  the 
temple  seven  horses  dedicated  to  the  Deity.  After 
which  followed  a dance,  Adzuma  mahi,  performed 


30  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

by  the  bodyguard  of  the  Mikado,  a concert  on  the 
harp  and  flute,  and  a dance,  Yamato  mahi,  executed 
by  the  priests,  members  of  the  Fujivara  family,  and 
the  assistant  minister  of  cult. 

Every  Shintoist  is  obliged,  upon  rising  early  in 
the  morning,  to  wash  his  face  and  hands,  to  rinse 
his  mouth,  after  which  he  turns  his  face  toward 
the  province  of  Yamato,  and  clapping  his  hands  he 
bows  to  the  earth  and  prays.  Their  principal  pray- 
ers are  the  following:  i.  To  the  columns  of  heaven 
and  earth,  God  and  Goddess  of  the  wind;  2.  God- 
dess of  the  Sun;  3.  Goddess  at  Ise;  4.  Unseen 
God;  5.  Goddess  of  Long  Life;  6.  The  temple  to 
which  the  worshipper  belongs;  7.  To  the  household 
gods,  called  Kamidana — in  the  house  of  every  Jap- 
anese there  is  a small  altar  dedicated  to  the  penates ; 
8.  Gods  who  preserve  from  sin,  profanation,  and 
misfortune;  9.  Butsu-dan  or  the  temple  where  are 
placed  the  tablets  with  the  names  of  the  ancestors. 
If  he  has  not  time  enough  the  worshipper  can  limit 
himself  to  prayers  to  the  residence  of  the  Emperor, 
household  gods,  souls  of  his  ancestors,  the  god  pro- 
tector of  the  place,  and  to  the  patron  of  his  craft. 

The  Temple  of  Ise  is  considered  the  national  place 
of  worship,  and  there,  according  to  tradition,  the 
mirror  and  the  sword  received  from  the  Sun  God- 
dess are  kept.  All  the  Shinto  temples  are  built  on 
the  same  model,  their  chief  characteristic  being  sim- 
plicity. They  are  constructed  of  hinoki  ( Chamae 
cy paris  obtusa  Endlicher)  of  the  best  quality  and 
are  entirely  devoid  of  gilding,  lacquer,  carving,  and 
painting.  The  primitive  type  is  a cabin  the  skeleton 
of  which  consists  of  logs  held  together  with  ropes 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  31 

of  straw  or  glycinia,  covered  with  a massive  roof 
of  straw,  and  divided  into  two  compartments.  The 
back  room  is  the  holy  of  holies,  and  in  the  front 
room,  where  mattings  are  spread,  the  worshippers 
congregate.  On  the  altar,  in  place  of  ornaments, 
are  only  the  mirror  of  the  Sun  Goddess,  and  Yohei, 
strips  of  white  paper,  on  a bamboo  pole, — symbols 
of  purity, — and  a crystal  globe.  A little  to  one  side 
are  two  vases  with  evergreen  Cleyera  Thunbergia 
Japonica,  and  a basin  for  ablution.  Outside  the  tem- 
ple are  stone  torii  (gates)  and  stone  lanterns. 

In  the  temple  one  sometimes  sees  offerings  of 
coarse  and  fine  silk  materials,  bows  and  arrows, 
swords  and  rice  brandy,  and  a temple  frequently  has 
the  air  of  a museum.  Sometimes  the  collection  is 
so  great  that  it  is  kept  in  separate  wings.  Over  the 
entrance  is  stretched  a rope  of  straw.  Upon  enter- 
ing the  temple  the  worshipper  pulls  the  rope,  thus 
giving  the  signal  to  the  Deity  that  he  wishes  to  com- 
mune with  him.  The  cash  offerings  are  simply 
strewn  upon  the  matting.  The  Shinto  priests  or- 
dinarily have  no  special  priestly  garb,  and  only  dur- 
ing the  service  do  they  don  a special  vestment.  Dif- 
ferent from  Buddhists,  they  do  not  shave  their  heads, 
and  do  not  know  celibacy  or  monasteries. 

The  Gods  of  Shintoism  do  not  require  ascetism, 
mortification  of  the  flesh,  and  their  veneration  was 
simply  a pretext  to  gay  festivals,  theatrical  repre- 
sentations and  processions  called  matsuri.  In  Shin- 
toism, with  all  its  masquerading  and  theatrical  cere- 
monies, was  felt  the  need  of  a unifying  moral  doc- 
trine, and  this  void  was  filled  by  Confucianism, 
taken  from  China.  The  respect  of  parents  was  the 


32  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

principal  foundation  of  the  moral  doctrine  of  the 
Chinese  philosopher,  who  admitted  the  vendetta  for 
the  sake  of  the  father.  Men  were  obliged  to  prac- 
tice five  virtues — benevolence,  frankness,  civility, 
fidelity,  and  knowledge.  The  respect  of  parents, 
fidelity  to  the  sovereign,  and  faithfulness  in  matri- 
mony are  demanded  of  the  followers  of  Confucius. 
Women  play  a secondary  role  in  Confucianism,  and 
are  under  obligation  of  eternal  obedience,  first  as 
daughter  to  the  father,  then  as  wife  to  the  husband, 
and  as  widow  to  the  eldest  son.  In  the  doctrine 
there  is  nothing  ethereal  or  speculative.  It  is  an 
every-day  moral  adapted  to  the  tastes  of  the  ordi- 
nary man,  not  demanding  special  virtues,  and  thus 
with  its  simplicity  and  accessibility  it  was  easily  ab- 
sorbed by  the  mass  of  the  Japanese.  These  are  the 
reasons  why  the  rationalistic  doctrine  of  the  Chinese 
philosopher  was  organically  blended  with  Shintoism, 
and  such  were  the  religious  beliefs  of  the  Japanese 
in  the  beginning  of  their  historical  life. 


Chapter  V 


Beginning  of  Japanese  history — Legendary  Emperors — Inva- 
sions of  Korea — Buddhism — Feudalism — War  dictatorship 
— The  Fujiwaras,  Minamotos,  Kiyomori — Yoritomo — The 
power  of  the  Emperors  (Mikado)  passes  on  account  of 
incapacity  into  the  hands  of  the  war  dictators  (maire  de 
palais)  or  Shoguns — Kublai  Khan — Emperor  Godaigo — 
Domination  of  the  Ashikaga  family. 

We  will  not  dwell  on  the  legendary  rulers  men- 
tioned in  the  Ko-ji-ki,  on  Jimmu  Tenno,  who  con- 
quered Japan,  on  the  Empress  Jingo  Kogo,  who  in- 
vaded Korea,  and  many  others  who  lived  longer 
than  ordinary  mortals.  Chinese  and  Korean  histor- 
ians confirm  the  fact  that  the  Japanese  invaded 
Korea  several  times,  although  there  are  discrepan- 
cies in  dates.  We  know  that  the  Chinese  brought 
books  and  learning  to  Japan,  and  Koreans  stuffs 
and  handicraft. 

The  great  turning  point  in  Japanese  history  was 
the  advent  in  the  sixth  century  of  Buddhism,  which 
had  already  conquered  half  of  Asia.  A third  of 
humanity — namely,  500  millions — are  followers  of 
Buddhism  in  the  steppes  of  Mongolia  under  the 
name  of  Shamanism,  on  the  table-lands  of  Thibet 
(Lamaism),  and  in  Burma  with  its  untold  wealth 
of  precious  stones. 

Every  one  is  familiar  with  the  story  of  Buddha. 
His  greatest  merit  was  in  the  negation  of  caste.  He 
proclaimed  the  cult  of  great  men,  and  moral  ideas, 
thus  setting  an  ideal  toward  which  humanity  could 
aspire.  The  sad  note  in  his  teaching  is  the  vanity 


34 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


of  all  existence,  and  Nirvana,  where  all  find  eternal 
repose.  Buddha,  like  Confucius,  is  moralist  and 
philosopher.  He  does  not  bring  salvation  to  the 
world — the  redemption  of  each  one  lies  in  himself. 
But  Buddha  says  that  the  divine  power  striving  to- 
ward good  is  stronger  than  heaven,  hell,  the  stars, 
or  Brahma,  and  that  its  laws  are  immutable.  Bud- 
dha teaches  love  and  compassion  toward  humanity 
and  all  living  creatures,  abnegation,  clean  thoughts, 
ascetism,  kind  actions,  patience  under  suffering,  and 
soul-peace.  To  kill  any  living  thing  is  counted  a 
great  sin,  therefore  all  Buddhists  are  vegetarians. 

This  is  the  doctrine  of  Buddha  in  its  purest  form, 
but  under  the  influence  of  its  environment  it  has 
changed  its  aspect,  adopting  all  sorts  of  superstitions 
and  degenerating  into  Shamanism  and  idolatry. 

In  the  time  of  the  Emperor  Kinmei  there  arrived 
an  envoy  of  Korea,  who,  bringing  with  him  a statue 
of  Buddha  and  books  on  his  teachings,  began  the 
propaganda  of  Buddhism.  The  Emperor  asked  his 
ministers  what  they  thought  of  these  statues.  One 
of  them  was  well  disposed  to  the  adoption  of  the 
doctrine,  then  another,  Nakatami-no-miko,  opposed 
it  with  these  words:  “In  our  celestial  empire  we 

worship  one  hundred  and  eighty  gods,  why  should 
we  take  another  strange  god.” 

The  statue  was  given  to  Sogo  Imami,  who  erected 
the  first  Buddhist  temple.  The  spread  of  an  infec- 
tious disease  in  Japan  was  looked  upon  as  a punish- 
ment for  receiving  a strange  god  and  the  temple  was 
burned. 

This  did  not  check  the  spread  of  Buddhism,  which 
triumphed  under  the  reign  of  the  empress  Suiko, 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  35 

who  adopted  the  new  religion,  and  at  the  end  of  the 
year  622  A.  D.  there  were  46  great  Buddhist  tem- 
ples and  1,385  Buddhist  priests.  The  public  imagi- 
nation was  influenced  by  the  pomp  of  the  Buddhist 
service,  the  doctrine  of  the  transmigration  of  souls 
and  the  attainment  of  eternal  happiness  with  angels 
and  Buddhas. 

The  spread  of  this  doctrine  was  much  facilitated 
by  the  circumstance  that  the  new  cult  took  the  Shinto 
gods  into  its  pantheon,  as  it  did  before  with  Brah- 
manism. Buddhism  was  firmly  assured  in  the  reign 
of  the  Emperor  Kuwammu,  who  built  a monastery 
on  the  mountain  of  Hieyei-san  near  Kyoto  and  gave 
it  over  to  the  Tendai  sect. 

With  this  Emperor  finishes  the  migration  of  the 
capital,  as  he  erected  in  Kyoto  a beautiful  palace. 
He  was  distinguished  by  his  ability  in  statecraft;  in 
his  reign  there  was  a revolt  of  the  indigenous  tribes, 
which  was  crushed  by  his  generals,  and  he  began 
the  planting  of  cotton.  The  former  title  was  changed 
by  him  to  the  Chinese  title  “Tenno.”  With  the  spread 
of  Buddhism  the  Japanese  adopted  Chinese  culture, 
Chinese  institutions  and  laws,  writing,  literature; 
medicine,  arts  and  crafts,  industries,  some  of  which 
had  already  come  to  Japan  from  the  Korean  emi- 
grants, who  were  expelled  from  their  country  owing 
to  internal  dissensions. 

With  the  softening  of  manners  the  reign  of  re- 
finement and  effeminacy  began  at  the  court.  The 
emperors,  confined  in  their  palace  as  in  a golden 
cage,  ceased  to  interest  themselves  in  the  affairs  of 
state,  occupying  themselves  with  charades,  verse 
making,  ceremonies,  and  inventing  of  new  offices  or 


36 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


costumes,  while  the  country  was  left  to  its  fate.  The 
highest  dignitary  at  the  court  was  the  vice-emperor 
(Kwambaku)  or  the  prime  minister.  After  came 
the  Taiko,  after  him  came  the  Kuge  or  court  aristoc- 
racy, from  whom  were  chosen  the  different  minis- 
ters. 

Those  were  the  days  of  feudalism  in  Japan,  and 
the  whole  country  was  divided  into  the  nobility  and 
the  common  people.  The  governing  class  was  di- 
vided into:  i.  Kuge — princes,  relatives  of  the  Em- 
peror; 2.  Daimios — feudal  lords;  3.  The  Samu- 
rais or  retainers  of  the  feudal  lords  or  chiefs.  In  the 
beginning  the  Samurai  was  an  ordinary  peasant,  who 
changed  his  plough  for  arms,  and  the  feudal  lord 
gave  a certain  revenue  from  the  villages.  A Samu- 
rai losing  his  feudal  master,  either  through  disgrace 
or  decapitation,  was  called  “ronin.” 

After  the  reign  of  Kuwammu  there  came  to  the 
front  three  families  among  the  ruling  princes:  Fuji- 
wara,  Taira,  and  Minamoto.  The  Fujiwaras  be- 
longed to  the  old  families  of  Japan,  being  related 
to  the  Imperial  family.  From  155  families  of  Kuge, 
according  to  Rein,  95  bore  the  name  of  Fujiwara 
besides  their  own  name.  Five  families  (Yoseki)  are 
specially  honored  up  to  the  present  day,  as  the 
Mikado  can  choose  an  Empress  only  from  among 
them.  In  the  choice  of  his  secondary  companions 
he  is  not  limited.  The  civil  government  was  concen- 
trated in  the  hands  of  the  Fujiwaras,  who  appointed 
de  facto  the  emperors  of  Japan.  Those  not  agree- 
able to  them  were  obliged  to  abdicate,  and  the  gov- 
ernment passing  to  children  of  8 to  12  years,  a mem- 
ber of  the  Fujiwara  acted  as  regent  (kwambaku). 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  37 

The  Minamotos  also  sought  to  seize  the  dictator- 
ship. 

The  Samurais,  entirely  forgetting  their  allegiance 
to  the  sovereign,  fought  obdurately  only  for  their 
feudal  lord.  We  will  not  tire  the  reader  with  the 
dramatic  episodes,  celebrated  by  the  Japanese  poets, 
of  the  strife  between  the  Minamotos  and  Taira,  and 
will  pass  to  the  moment  when  Kiyomori  of  the  house 
of  Taira  vanquished  his  foe  of  the  house  of  Mina- 
moto. 

Seduced  by  the  beauty  of  Tokiwa,  wife  of  Yosi- 
tomo,  he  married  her,  and  for  her  sake  spared  the  life 
of  her  children.  Fearing  that  they  would  avenge 
the  death  of  their  father  he  dispatched  them  to  a 
monastery.  After  having  triumphed  over  his  ene- 
mies he  was  appointed  prime  minister  and  became 
in  reality  the  dictator  of  Japan,  and  at  will  deposed 
and  nominated  emperors.  The  arbitrary  action  and 
cruelties  of  Kiyomori  called  forth  the  discontent  of 
the  country'.  At  the  head  of  the  uprising  was  Yori- 
tomo,  the  son  of  Yoshitomo,  married  to  the  beautiful 
Masago,  daughter  of  Hojo,  and  with  the  aid  of  his 
father-in-law  he  raised  an  army.  His  principal  as- 
sistant was  his  brother  Yositsune,  celebrated  in  Jap- 
anese poetry  for  heroism.  After  many  battles  and 
the  death  of  Kiyomori  the  Taira  family  was  com- 
pletely exterminated,  and  the  wife  of  Kiyomori  with 
the  child  Emperor  Antoku  jumped  into  the  sea. 

Yoritomo  seized  the  military  dictatorship  and  se- 
lected for  his  capital  the  town  of  Kamakura.  The 
great  military  exploits  and  popularity  of  Yositsune 
excited  the  suspicion  of  Yoritomo,  who,  forgetting 
the  great  service  of  his  brother,  began  planning  to 


38 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


get  rid  of  him.  To  save  himself  from  the  murderous 
hand  of  his  brother,  who  had  already  declared  him  a 
traitor  and  an  outlaw,  Yositsune,  according  to  some 
legends,  sought  refuge  in  Yezo  with  the  Ainos,  and 
according  to  another  version  found  death  at  the  hand 
of  a friend  who  sought  the  favor  of  Yoritomo.  For 
the  great  services  to  his  country  Yoritomo  received 
the  title  of  Sei-i-tai-Shogun  (great  general  conqueror 
of  the  barbarians).  Rightfully  the  power  belonged 
to  the  Mikado  or  Emperor  in  Kyoto,  but  in  reality 
it  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Shogun,  who  appointed 
members  of  his  family  as  hereditary  governors  of 
five  provinces  and  made  his  father-in-law  military 
governor  of  Kyoto.  After  the  death  of  Yoritomo 
the  power  passed  into  the  hands  of  his  son,  who  pre- 
ferred dissoluteness  and  pleasure  to  affairs  of  state. 
This  was  generally  the  fate  of  power  in  Japan.  The 
power  of  the  Emperors,  owing  to  their  incapacity, 
passed  to  the  Shoguns,  who  in  turn  could  not  avoid 
the  general  fate  and  finished  in  degeneracy.  Some 
ambitious  person,  profiting  by  the  favor  of  the  Sho- 
gun, sought  to  seize  the  helm  of  power,  and  thus 
in  Japan,  side  by  side  with  the  recognized,  but  at 
the  same  time  fictitious,  power,  springs  up  another 
power  full  of  fire  and  energy,  but  this  energy  lasts 
only  for  two  or  three  generations.  Thus  it  was 
with  Yoritomo  and  his  descendants  that  the  power 
passed  to  the  Ho  jo  family,  where  it  remained  from 
1219  to  1334. 

The  representative  of  this  family,  Yoshitoki,  de- 
posed four  emperors  and  placed  on  the  throne  his 
grandson.  The  Hojos  distinguished  themselves  by 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


39 


the  solicitude  for  the  prosperity  of  their  country  and 
development  of  literature. 

During  the  regime  of  the  Ilojos,  Kublai  Khan 
invaded  China  and  founded  the  Mongolian  dynasty 
of  emperors  in  China.  His  envoys  arrived  several 
times  in  Japan  and  demanded  submission  of  the  Jap- 
anese Emperor.  No  answer  was  vouchsafed  to  these 
insolent  demands  and  the  envoys  were  not  allowed 
to  go  farther  than  Kiushiu.  In  1274  10,000  Mon- 
gols landed  on  the  island  of  Tsushima,  overcame  the 
Japanese  and  wished  to  cross  to  Kiushiu,  but  were 
repulsed  by  the  army  of  the  Shogun.  Kublai  Khan, 
not  confused  by  this  failure,  sent  new  envoys  to  Ja- 
pan, who  were  beheaded  by  the  Japanese.  In  the 
year  of  1282  an  army  of  100,000  warriors,  consisting 
of  Koreans,  Chinese  and  Mongolians,  landed  on  the 
island  of  Takashiama  near  Nagasaki.  The  Mon- 
golian fleet  was  armed  with  catapults,  but  a typhoon 
came  to  the  assistance  of  the  Japanese  and  swept 
the  ships  to  destruction  like  chips.  The  sea  was  cov- 
ered with  the  floating  bodies  of  the  enemy  and  Japan 
was  freed  for  many  years  from  foreign  invasion. 

The  Hojos,  who  ruled  the  country  after  the  Mina- 
moto,  evoked  the  people’s  discontent  by  their  pre- 
sumption, and  deposed  the  Emperor  Godaigo,  who 
was  not  agreeable  to  them.  The  deposed  Godaigo, 
seeing  in  a dream  two  youths  erecting  for  him  a 
throne  under  a camphor  tree  (Kusunoki),  immedi- 
ately began  a search  for  a man  bearing  such  a name, 
and  found  Kusunoki  Masasighe,  who  had  already 
made  known  his  name  by  exterminating  the  brigand- 
age in  his  part  of  the  country.  By  his  actions  and 
victories  on  the  battle-field  he  succeeded  in  regaining 


40 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


the  power  for  the  Emperor,  and  through  the  treach- 
ery of  Ashikaga,  a relative  of  the  Hojos,  the  capital, 
Kamakura,  was  taken  by  assault. 

The  last  representative  of  the  house  of  Hojo  re- 
tired with  all  his  followers  (1,000)  to  the  tomb  of 
his  ancestors,  and  after  a welfare  feast  committed 
hara-kiri  (disembowelled  themselves).  Thus  fin- 
ished a family  who  so  long  held  the  reins  of  govern- 
ment in  Japan. 

The  power  did  not  remain  long  in  the  hands  of 
Godaigo.  The  ambitious  Ashikaga  sought  to  obtain 
the  rank  of  Shogun,  which  was  already  given  to  the 
son  of  the  Emperor  Morinaga.  To  obtain  his  end 
Ashikaga  sowed  discord  between  father  and  son  and 
the  young  prince  was  cast  into  prison,  where  he 
found  death  from  the  perfidious  Ashikaga.  Then 
Ashikaga,  heading  a revolt,  seized  Kyoto,  placing  a 
new  Emperor,  Komai,  on  the  throne.  The  adher- 
ents of  Godaigo,  who  fled  to  Yesino,  gathered 
around  him  and  at  his  death  proclaimed  his  son 
Emperor;  thus  there  were  two  empires  in  Japan,  the 
northern  and  the  southern,  and  this  state  of  affairs 
continued  until  the  southern  empire,  little  by  little, 
lost  its  possessions  and  gave  up  a phantom  power. 
From  this  time  the  real  authority  rested  in  the  hands 
of  the  Shogun  Ashikaga,  whom  Japanese  historians 
painted  in  very  black  colors.  Our  compatriot,  Leon 
Metchnikoff,  defends  the  founder  of  this  new  dy- 
nasty. He  asserts  that  Ashikaga,  who  is  considered 
as  the  Japanese  Borgia,  differed  in  no  way  from  his 
predecessors.  With  the  exception  of  the  chivalrous 
actions  of  Takeda,  who  warned  the  enemy  of  his 
intended  attacks,  the  Japanese  as  a rule  are  not  dis- 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


41 


criminating  in  their  choice  of  action  toward  a foe, 
and  the  house  of  Ashikaga  was  no  exception  to  the 
ride.  At  the  court  of  Ashikaga  at  Rokuvara  (sub- 
urb of  Kyoto)  art  flourished  and  the  painters  played 
the  same  role  as  the  artists  in  the  time  of  the  Renais- 
sance. Kawo,  Meitsu,  Uisetz,  Kano,  Masanobu, 
and  Motonobu  distinguished  themselves  as  painters, 
and  at  the  same  time  flourished.  But  during  this  time 
when  art  was  at  its  height,  the  country  suffered  from 
great  disorder,  from  brigands  and  sea  pirates,  who 
not  only  terrorized  the  inhabitants  of  the  coast  but 
also  China.  The  peasants,  not  knowing  how  to  save 
their  harvest  and  their  property  from  pillage  and 
marauding,  deserted  their  lands  and  joined  the  bri- 
gands. The  powerful  feudal  lords  fought  between 
themselves  without  regard  to  the  central  govern- 
ment. About  this  time  began  the  rise  of  powerful 
daimios,  Takeda  (in  Koshiu),  Simadzu  (Satzuma), 
Otomo  (Bungo),  Mori,  Hosokawa,  and  Tokugawa, 
and  the  first  Catholic  missionaries,  not  without  cer- 
tain reason,  gave  them  the  title  of  kings. 

As  regards  the  Emperor  himself,  his  importance 
had  fallen  very  low  and  the  material  condition  of  his 
court  was  so  poverty-stricken  that  the  corpse  of  the 
one  hundred  and  second  Mikado  remained  unburied 
during  forty  days  at  the  gate  of  the  palace.  The 
capital  of  the  country  was  in  such  a terrible  plight 
that  all  those  who  found  it  possible  fled,  only  the 
bravest  remaining  among  the  ruins,  risking  death 
from  starvation  or  at  the  hand  of  the  murderer. 
Frequent  earthquakes,  droughts,  and  famines  com- 
pletely desolated  the  country;  only  the  Buddhist 
priests,  who  had  built  strongholds  in  the  mountains, 
thrived,  taking  part  in  the  internal  strife. 


Chapter  VI 


The  first  arrival  of  Europeans — The  first  missionaries — No- 
bunaga — Hideyoshi — Iyeyasu  of  the  house  of  Tokugawa — 
Persecutions  of  Christians — War  with  China. 

Into  this  reign  of  desolation  and  death  there 
fell  a ray  of  light — the  arrival  of  the  Portuguese, 
who  brought  with  them  Christianity  and  firearms. 
The  latter  more  than  anything  else  astounded  the 
change-loving  Japanese.  The  Japanese  Chronicles 
speak  briefly  of  the  arrival  of  the  ships  with  the  220 
foreigners  (namban),  southern  barbarians  with 
frightful  faces,  speaking  an  unknown  language,  and 
armed  with  firearms.  In  the  chronicle  edited  by 
Klaproth  it  is  said  that  with  the  arrival  of  the  ships 
of  the  southern  barbarians  began  the  spread  of  the 
sect  of  Yaso  (Jesus),  and  that  Otomo  became  a 
member  of  this  sect.  The  Japanese  made  a very 
good  impression  on  the  first  missionaries.  Contrary 
to  the  Chinese,  said  the  Jesuit  fathers,  the  Japanese 
had  a developed  sense  of  honor;  they  were  haughty 
and  revengeful,  but  a Japanese  merchant  would 
never  overcharge.  Francis  Xavier  praises  the  Jap- 
anese for  their  lofty  souls,  and  in  speaking  of  them 
says,  “They  are  the  delight  of  my  heart !”  Japanese 
religion  struck  the  missionaries  by  its  likeness  to  the 
Catholic,  for  they  also  had  praying  on  the  knees, 
candles,  incense  burning,  like  priestly  canonicals; 


The  Land  ofl  the  Rising  Sun  43 

celibacy,  shaving  of  the  face,  convents  and  monas- 
teries— in  fact,  all  the  ceremonies  of  Buddhism  re- 
minded the  Catholic  missionaries  of  their  own  reli- 
gion. Women,  at  certain  periods,  were  prohibited 
from  entering  the  temples. 

Upon  closer  acquaintance  with  the  knowledge  and 
ideas  of  the  Europeans  the  Japanese  became  inter- 
ested in  their  religious  teaching.  The  great  merit 
of  spreading  Christianity  belongs  to  Francis  Xavier 
and  the  order  of  the  Jesuits,  who  showed  great  force 
of  will,  indomitable  energy  and  readiness  to  self- 
sacrifice.  Francis  Xavier  himself  visited  Kago- 
shima, the  capital  of  the  Satsuma  prince,  who  issued 
an  ukase  against  Christianity;  but  he  was  more  cor- 
dially received  by  other  princes  on  the  island  of 
Kiushiu,  the  Prince  of  Hirado  and  Prince  Otomo 
of  Bungo.  From  Kiushiu  he  went  to  Kyoto,  which 
he  found  in  ruins.  Entering  the  capital  on  foot  in  a 
poor  garb  he  made  no  impression  on  the  people, 
and  his  preaching  passed  unnoticed  in  the  midst  of 
the  horrors  of  civil  war.  Not  having  obtained  an 
audience  with  the  Mikado  or  the  Shogun,  Xavier 
returned  to  Amaguchi  in  Bungo.  Recognizing  his 
mistake,  he  presented  himself  to  this  prince  with 
great  pomp  and  splendor,  and  after  remaining  there 
several  months  he  went  to  Malacca  and  died 
on  the  road;  but  the  seeds  that  he  had  planted 
brought  forth  a rich  harvest  in  Japan.  One  would 
think  that  Christianity,  received  with  such  enthusi- 
asm by  the  feudal  princes  and  the  aristocracy  of 
Japan,  would  have  firmly  established  itself  in  the 
country;  but  it  was  not  the  case,  owing  to  political 
conditions  and  mistakes  made  by  the  missionaries 


44  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

themselves,  who  counted  too  much  upon  their  own 
strength  and  took  too  active  a part  in  the  civil  strife. 

In  the  time  of  uprising  and  disturbance  people  of 
extraordinary  energy  and  great  intellectual  capacity 
come  to  the  fore,  and  about  them  groups  of  people 
who  seek  advancement,  honors,  and  glory.  Thus  in 
the  sixteenth  century,  amidst  the  disturbances  and 
dissensions  in  Japan,  arose  one  after  the  other,  three 
great  dictators — Ota  Nobunaga,  Toyotomi  or  Hide- 
yoshi,  and  Iyeyasu.  Handsome  and  manly  in  ap- 
pearance, tall  of  stature,  but  with  a weakly  consti- 
tution, according  to  the  Jesuits,  Nobunaga  was  an 
aristocrat  by  birth  and  could  boast  that  the  blood 
of  the  famous  Kiyomori  of  the  house  of  Taira 
flowed  in  his  veins.  From  his  earliest  youth  he 
showed  a great  independence  of  character,  was  un- 
restrained and  wilful.  His  father  apportioned  him 
his  fortune  when  he  was  only  thirteen  years  old, 
and  established  him  in  the  castle  of  Nagoya  together 
with  his  servants  and  retainers,  and  from  this  palace 
Nobunaga  began  his  campaigns  against  his  neigh- 
bors, and  remorselessly  exterminated  them  with  fire 
and  sword.  His  tutor,  in  despair  of  the  future,  com- 
mitted suicide  by  cutting  his  throat.  This  made  a 
deep  impression  on  Nobunaga,  who  would  not  leave 
his  house  for  several  weeks,  and  he  built  a temple  on 
the  grave  of  his  master,  and  denying  himself  all 
former  amusements  he  began  the  serious  study  of 
the  art  of  war.  Under  cover  of  internal  disturb- 
ances Nobunaga  increased  his  possessions,  and  with- 
out discrimination  in  the  choice  of  means  he  did 
not  hesitate  at  murder,  revenge,  or  treachery  to 
reach  his  goal.  Assembling  a great  force  he  armed 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


45 


it  with  guns,  such  as  were  brought  by  the  Europeans, 
thus  obtaining  a great  advantage  over  the  other 
feudal  lords.  His  authority  was  morally  increased 
when  the  Mikado  chose  him  to  pacify  the  country. 
He  brilliantly  fulfilled  his  task  and  expelled  Ashi- 
kaga  from  Kyoto,  completing  the  downfall  of  this 
dynasty.  With  an  iron  hand  he  restored  order  and 
peace  to  the  country,  and  abolishing  many  taxes  he 
assisted  those  who  had  suffered  from  famine  and 
disorders.  With  draconic  measures  he  sought  to  ex- 
tirpate bribery  and  theft,  which  were  punished  by 
death.  Theft,  according  to  the  Japanese,  entirely 
disappeared,  and  Japan  was  like  Mongolia  in  the 
time  of  Genghis  Khan ; a thing  lost  on  the  great 
road  could  be  found  by  the  owner,  and  any  one  could 
safely  sleep  there,  having  all  his  things  about  him. 

The  reconstruction  of  the  ruined  palace  in  Kyoto 
was  begun  by  order  of  Nobunaga,  and  at  the  same 
time  the  erection  of  a fortified  castle  for  himself. 
The  complete  pacification  of  the  country  was  delayed 
by  the  Buddhist  clergy  and  by  the  conflicts  of  the 
feudal  rulers  who  waged  war  among  themselves. 
Desiring  to  subject  the  haughty  Buddhist  monks, 
Nobunaga  looked  with  favor  on  the  spread  of  Chris- 
tianity, permitting  the  missionaries  to  build  a church 
and  calling  it  the  temple  of  southern  barbarians. 
Aiding  the  poor  and  sick,  the  missionaries  spread 
Christianity  with  such  success  that  it  frightened  the 
conservatives,  who  asked,  “Are  there  not  enough 
religions  in  the  land ; why  should  we  have  a religion 
from  a foreign  country?”  Nobunaga  answered  that 
Buddhism  had  also  come  from  another  land  and 
proven  itself  very  beneficial  to  Japan.  From  the 


46  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

memoirs  of  the  first  missionaries  we  know  that  No- 
bunaga was  very  much  interested  in  Christianity, 
but  went  no  farther  than  this,  and  in  religious  ques- 
tions his  tolerance  was  rather  the  result  of  indiffer- 
ence. Having  only  political  aims  in  view  he  never 
spared  his  opponents,  and  the  renowned  monastery 
of  Hieyeisan  near  Kyoto  was  taken  by  his  army  and 
given  over  to  pillage.  The  same  fate  befell  the 
stronghold  of  Buddhism — the  monastery  Hon- 
gwan-ji.  This  is  the  reason  why  the  Buddhists 
represent  him  as  a demon  of  perversity  and  evil. 

On  the  shores  of  the  Lake  of  Biwa,  in  Asuchi-yama, 
Nobunaga  built  himself  a palace  of  which  the  Cath- 
olic missionaries  have  written  wondrous  accounts. 
The  air  in  this  place  was  of  wonderful  freshness 
and  the  woods  abounded  in  sweet-smelling  plants 
and  flowers  and  the  forest  was  filled  with  game.  On 
the  highest  of  the  three  mountains  was  built  the 
castle  of  Nobunaga  and  the  ridges  were  surrounded 
by  a high  wall  with  here  and  there  a tower.  The 
first  gateway  led  into  a great  court  with  a theatre. 
A majestic  stone  staircase  conducted  up  to  a great 
hall  with  many  corridors.  The  sliding  walls  were 
covered  with  paintings  and  the  windows  and  doors 
were  decorated  with  gilding  and  lacquer-work. 
Leading  into  the  corridor  was  a veritable  labyrinth 
of  rooms,  the  rich  decoration  of  which  consisted 
also  of  gold  lacquer  and  gold  brocades.  From  the 
citadel  there  was  an  extended  view  over  the  prov- 
inces of  Owari  and  Mino. 

Nobunaga  finished  by  building  a temple,  in  which 
he  placed  the  idols  of  all  the  gods,  and  among  them 
a gold  statue  of  himself  under  the  name  of  Kianti 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


47 


(high  ruler),  and  all  his  vassals  were  obliged  to 
make  obeisance  to  him.  Reaching  the  apogee  of 
his  power,  Nobunaga  fell  at  the  hands  of  murderers. 

The  instigator  of  this  attack  was  one  of  his  aids 
( Akesi-Koreto)  whose  mother  had  been  crucified 
some  time  ago  by  Nobunaga.  Although  this  had 
not  prevented  Koreto  from  accepting  favors  from 
Nobunaga,  who  even  bestowed  upon  him  a province, 
still,  Koreto  never  had  entire  confidence  in  Nobu- 
naga and  always  feared  for  his  lfe.  So  upon  one 
occasion,  when  Koreto  refused  to  drink,  and  the 
passionate  and  unrestrained  Nobunaga  nearly  killed 
him,  it  incited  Koreto  to  outstrip  him,  and  calling 
together  his  friends  he  treacherously  surrounded  the 
temple  in  which  Nobunaga  was  living.  Startled 
suddenly  in  the  night,  the  bodyguards  and  servants 
of  Nobunaga  offered  no  resistance.  Nobunaga,  with 
a few  men,  threw  himself  against  the  assailants,  but 
was  pierced  by  an  arrow.  Upon  his  return  to  the 
temple,  setting  fire  to  it,  he  cut  his  throat.  Thus 
died  tragically  a man  on  whom  the  Catholic  mission- 
aries counted  so  much,  and  thanks  to  his  protection 
Christianity  had  taken  firm  root  in  Japan. 

Many  feudal  princes,  seduced  by  the  profitable 
commerce  with  the  Portuguese,  who  brought  great 
cargoes  from  Malacca,  Philippines,  Goa,  and  Macao, 
willingly  opened  their  ports  to  them.  With  the  suc- 
cess of  commerce  Christianity  spread,  and  according 
to  some  authors  there  were  already  a million  Chris- 
tians in  the  land. 

One  can  judge  of  the  progress  of  Christianity  by 
the  fact  that  the  Christian  princes  (King  Francis  of 
Bungo,  King  Bartholomy  of  Omura,  and  King 


48  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

Andrew  of  Arima)  decided  to  send  a deputation  to 
the  Pope,  and  this  deputation  started  in  February, 
1582,  and  only  arrived  in  Lisbon  two  years  later, 
or  the  10th  of  August,  1584.  The  journey  of  the 
Japanese  deputation  through  Portugal,  Spain,  and 
Italy  was  like  a triumphal  march.  Their  reception 
by  the  sovereigns,  towns,  and  corporations  blinded 
the  Japanese  with  its  splendor.  Pope  Sixtus  V 
received  them  affectionately  and  handed  them  an 
answer. 

After  the  death  of  Nobunaga  one  of  his  generals 
and  fellow-champions,  Hideyoshi,  decided  to  re- 
venge the  death  of  his  master  and  seized  the  power 
to  the  detriment  of  the  rightful  heir. 

Hideyoshi,  called  later  Toyotomi,  received  at  his 
birth  the  name  of  Hi-yoshi  (light  of  the  sun).  His 
father  was  formerly  a samurai,  and  leaving  his  pro- 
fession retired  to  the  village  of  Nakamura  in  the 
province  of  Owari.  His  mother,  of  noble  birth, 
having  no  children  prayed  long  for  the  desired  son, 
and  before  his  birth  saw  in  a dream  that  a ray  of 
sunlight  entered  her  breast. 

The  man  with  such  a high-sounding  name  was 
feeble  and  small,  and  was  so  ugly  that  he  was  called 
a monkey.  The  Jesuits  describe  him  as  small  of 
stature,  thick,  fat,  and  very  strong.  His  face  was 
something  terrible ; he  had  six  fingers  on  one  hand, 
no  beard,  and  his  eyes  popped  nearly  out  of  his  head. 
At  the  death  of  his  father,  Hideyoshi  was  put  into 
a monastery.  Gifted  with  great  capacities,  he  caused 
the  monks  much  trouble  with  his  pranks  and  they 
frequently  threatened  to  return  him  to  his  family. 
A common  saying  of  his  was : “You  are  all  beggars. 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  49 

I see  no  reason  why  a child  born  for  better  things 
should  become  a mendicant  like  you.”  On  one  occa- 
sion, when  he  had  to  offer  the  sacrifice  to  Amida,  he 
addressed  the  idol  in  these  terms : “They  say  that 
you  aid  people,  and  for  this  they  worship  you,  they 
offer  you  food  daily  and  you  take  nothing;  eating 
nothing,  how  can  you  help  others.  If  you  are  not 
a dumb  idol,  answer,  or  I will  smash  you  to  pieces.” 
Observing  that  the  food  was  untouched  he  struck 
the  idol  with  a candelabra  and  the  head  fell  off. 
After  this  he  was  sent  back  to  his  mother,  who  in 
the  mean  time  had  married  again. 

After  trying  several  crafts,  as  potter,  carpenter, 
blacksmith,  and  even  brigand,  he  entered  the  service 
of  Nobunaga,  who  fixed  his  attention  upon  him. 
Beginning  as  bodyguard,  then  as  contractor,  he  en- 
tered into  the  confidence  of  his  hot-blooded  master, 
who  appointed  him  to  command  a company,  and 
there  Hideyoshi  showed  himself  equal  to  the  task 
and  became  one  of  Nobunaga’s  most  talented  gen* 
erals. 

Taking  the  power  into  his  own  hands,  Hideyoshi 
aroused  the  envy  of  the  other  generals,  who  began 
to  intrigue  against  him.  We  will  not  dwell  upon 
all  the  details  of  this  struggle  but  will  simply  state 
that  his  chief  enemy  was  the  son  of  Nobunaga, 
Nobuwo.  This  Nobmvo  had  turned  against  Hide- 
yoshi when  the  latter  was  already  powerful,  had  a 
great  fortune,  vast  properties,  and  a fortified  castle 
in  Osaka.  Masons  from  ten  provinces  had  been 
summoned  for  the  building  of  this  stronghold,  which 
astounds  by  its  Cyclopean  proportions. 


50 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


The  Jesuit  fathers  describe  the  magnificence  of 
this  castle  covered  with  gilded  tiles.  Surmounting 
one  of  the  towers  were  two  gigantic  fish  whose 
scales  were  of  gold  coins.  This  tower  was  burned 
in  1660, 

Feeling  that  he  was  not  equal  to  attack  Hideyoshi, 
Nobuwo  turned  for  aid  to  Iyeyasu-Tokugawa. 
Hideyoshi  also  tried  to  incline  Iyeyasu  in  his  favor, 
but  he  had  already  decided  to  take  the  part  of 
Nobuwo.  Then  Hideyoshi,  by  diplomatic  negotia- 
tions, brought  about  a reconciliation,  giving  his  oath 
of  allegiance  to  Nobuwo  and  adopting  the  son  of 
Iyeyasu.  Iyeyasu,  who  now  appeared  on  the  politi- 
cal arena,  was  a descendant  of  the  Emperor  Seiwa. 
As  characteristic  of  the  three  dictators  who  followed 
each  other  in  Japan,  the  Japanese  authors  tell  the 
following  story.  Ota  Nobunaga  usually  said,  “When 
I wish  a nightingale  to  sing,  and  it  is  silent,  I kill  it.” 
Hideyoshi  said,  “And  I wait  until  it  sings.”  “And 
I force  it  to  sing,”  answered  Iyeyasu-Tokugawa. 

Having  made  peace  with  his  adversaries,  Hide- 
yoshi turned  his  atttention  to  the  obstinate  Bud- 
dhist monks  and  unsubmissive  vassals.  In  1585  he 
marched  against  the  monastery  of  Koyosan  with 
an  army  of  100,000  men.  The  monks,  taking  advan- 
tage of  their  fortified  position,  defended  themselves 
desperately,  but  were  forced  to  yield  before  the  su- 
perior tactics  of  Hideyoshi.  The  same  fate  befell 
the  temple  of  Kumano.  Regardless  of  these  hostile 
actions,  Hideyoshi  was  not  like  Nobunaga,  an  enemy 
of  Buddhism.  He  was  a statesman  who  knew  how 
to  profit  by  people,  and  change  his  actions  according 
to  circumstances.  This  is  seen  especially  in  his  rela- 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


51 


tions  toward  Christianity.  Among  the  persons  sur- 
rounding him  were  many  Christians,  who  even  occu- 
pied very  high  positions.  He  cordially  received  the 
representative  of  the  Jesuits,  and  expressed  himself 
as  if  he  had  nothing  against  half  of  Japan  becoming 
Christian;  and  pursuing  his  political  aims,  he 
brought  the  conversation  to  his  desire  of  purchas- 
ing two  Portuguese  ships,  saying,  “When  I have 
two  hundred  I will  begin  to  fight  the  Chinese  and 
spread  Christianity.”  He  conducted  the  Jesuit 
fathers  through  all  the  rooms  of  his  palace  to  the 
seventh  story,  and  allowed  them  to  preach,  inviting 
them  to  supper  in  his  own  apartments.  This  was  an 
honor  such  as  had  never  been  conferred  even  upon 
the  feudal  princes,  and  the  astonishment  was  very 
great  among  the  aristocrats  when  the  news  spread 
far  and  wide.  The  affair  did  not  finish  here.  Hide- 
yoshi  visited  incognito  the  house  of  the  fathers, 
examined  the  church,  and  upon  seeing  the  image  of 
the  Saviour  asked  many  questions  of  Father  Les- 
pedez,  and  upon  retiring  he  said:  “I  know  that 

you  are  better  than  the  Osaka  monks  and  your  laws 
please  me  very  much,  if  only  polygamy  were  per- 
mitted. It  is  the  only  condition  which  prevents  me 
from  adopting  Christianity.” 

His  desire  to  have  a Portuguese  ship  was  frus- 
trated. Passing  by  Hakata  he  wished  to  see  a large 
Portuguese  vessel,  but  the  captain  had  left  the  port 
early  on  acount  of  the  tide.  Hideyoshi  was  furious. 
Another  time  when  a Spanish  ship  was  cast  on  the 
shore  Hideyoshi  examined  it  very  carefully  and 
asked  the  captain  many  questions  about  European 
customs.  When  Hideyoshi  expressed  his  surprise 


52 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


that  such  small  countries  as  Spain  and  Portugal 
should  have  such  large  colonies  the  captain  an- 
swered : “It  is  very  simple.  When  the  missionaries 
have  subjugated  the  hearts  of  the  people,  the  king 
takes  the  territory  without  difficulty.” 

This  explanation,  cited  by  the  Jesuits,  aroused 
Hideyoshi’s  suspicion,  but  being  preoccupied  with 
his  intended  invasion  of  China  he  did  not  restrict 
the  freedom  of  foreigners.  Upon  one  occasion, 
when  his  wife  came  with  the  chief  Buddhist  priest 
to  complain  of  Takayama,  one  of  Hideyoshi’s  prin- 
cipal aids,  that  as  a Christian  he  had  closed  Buddhist 
temples,  Hideyoshi  answered  her:  “Has  Takayama 
not  a right  to  do  as  he  thinks  best  ? If  the  monks  do 
not  know  what  to  do  with  their  idols  let  them  throw 
them  into  the  water  or  burn  them  up.”  He  did  not, 
however,  disdain  the  aid  of  the  Buddhists  when  it 
was  useful  to  him,  as  shown  by  his  making  use  of 
them  in  the  subjection  of  the  island  of  Kiushiu, 
where  the  Prince  of  Satsuma,  not  recognizing  the 
authority  of  the  Emperor,  had  seized  three  provinces 
of  Kiushiu  and  afterwards  nearly  the  whole  island. 
The  worst  fate  befell  Prince  Otomo,  who  turned  for 
assistance  to  Hideyoshi ; and  when  Hideyoshi,  send- 
ing to  the  Satsuma  prince,  asked  by  what  right  he 
refused  the  taxes  to  the  Emperor  and  seized  the 
neighboring  provinces,  the  Satsuma  prince  an- 
swered haughtily:  “My  ancestors  for  fourteen 
generations  ruled  these  provinces,  and  only  one 
Emperor,  Kono-e,  demanded  taxes.  It  is  not  pos- 
sible that  this  monkey  thinks  of  conquering  me!” 
This  insolent  answer  and  the  reference  to  his  per- 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  53 

sonal  appearance  angered  the  Dictator  beyond 
measure. 

He  marched  against  Kiushiu,  and  defeating  the 
army  of  the  house  of  Simadzu,  took  the  capital. 
The  head  of  this  proud  house,  becoming  a monk, 
appeared  before  the  Dictator  with  expressions  of 
submission,  and  Hideyoshi,  having  mercy  on  him, 
left  to  his  family  the  possession  of  three  provinces 
(Satsuma,  Hiuga,  Osumi). 

Finishing  with  Satsuma  and  returning  their  pos- 
sessions to  the  Christian  princes,  Hideyoshi  re- 
mained several  months  in  Nagasaki.  About  this 
time  he  issued  his  first  proclamation  against  Chris- 
tianity, in  which  he  pointed  out  that  these  strangers 
preached  a religion  contrary  to  the  laws  and  insti- 
tutions of  the  country.  “In  their  blindness  they  are 
destroying  the  sanctity  of  our  gods  (kami)  and  the 
temples  of  the  Buddhists,”  he  said.  Among  the 
complaints  against  Christianity  it  is  stated  that  they 
kill  cows  and  oxen  so  necessary  to  agriculture,  and 
that  by  fraud  they  are  taking  the  Japanese  unawares 
and  selling  them  into  bondage.  “These  actions,” 
continues  the  ukase,  “merit  capital  punishment,  but 
we  in  our  mercy  order  them  under  penalty  of  death 
to  leave  the  country  in  the  course  of  twenty  days. 
If  after  this  period  they  are  still  in  the  country,  we 
order  them  to  be  put  under  arrest  and  punished  by 
death.  The  Portuguese  merchants  are  permitted, 
until  further  order,  to  trade  in  the  country,  but 
under  condition  that  they  bring  no  missionaries. 
In  case  of  disobedience  their  ships  and  cargoes  will 
be  confiscated.”  The  Jesuits  explain  these  strict 
measures  by  the  fact  of  an  unrequited  passion  hav- 


54 


The  Land  o£  the  Rising  Sun 


ing  taken  possession  of  the  sensual  Hideyoshi,  for 
a Christian  woman  in  Arima,  a place  renowned  for 
its  beautiful  women.  It  is  said  that  Hideyoshi,  like 
Nobunaga,  wished  to  be  worshipped  as  a god. 

This  ukase  against  Christianity,  however,  did  not 
prevent  Hideyoshi  from  receiving  Father  Valignan 
in  solemn  audience  as  special  envoy  from  the  Vice- 
roy of  India.  In  his  credentials  from  the  Viceroy, 
Hideyoshi  was  thanked  for  the  protection  shown  by 
him  to  the  fathers  and  asked  to  support  them 
against  enemies,  and  the  Viceroy  sent  to  Hideyoshi 
fine  presents,  including  an  Arabian  steed,  a gun, 
etc. 

Having  quieted  the  internal  enemies,  Hideyoshi 
began  planning  his  campaign  against  China  and 
Korea.  He  hoped  in  this  manner  to  weaken  the 
feudal  chiefs  and  turn  their  attention  from  internal 
politics.  From  the  Emperor  he  received  the  title 
Kwampaku  with  the  name  of  Toyotomi,  as  the  cov- 
eted title  of  Shogun,  notwithstanding  Hideyoshi’s 
demand,  could  only  be  given  to  a descendant  of  an 
Emperor. 

Hideyoshi  had  attained  such  great  importance 
that  even  the  Emperor  decided  to  pay  him  a visit 
at  Osaka.  The  descendant  of  the  gods  seldom  came 
out  of  his  seclusion.  Surrounded  by  impenetrable 
mystery  the  Mikado  lived  in  his  palace  in  the  midst 
of  his  numerous  wives,  giving  himself  up  to  inno- 
cent amusements.  The  palace,  according  to  contem- 
porary accounts,  was  distinguished  by  its  magnifi- 
cence; but  we  have  reason  to  doubt  the  truth  of  this 
description,  for  the  palace  which  exists  at  present  in 
Kyoto,  with  the  exception  of  a few  sliding  parti- 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


55 


tions,  is  extremely  simple,  is  devoid  of  lacquer,  gild- 
ing, statuary  and  enamel,  which  are,  however,  found 
decorating  the  palaces  of  the  Shoguns  and  the  Bud- 
dhist temples.  It  is  true  that  the  palace  was  burned 
several  times  and  at  a later  date  than  the  description 
given  by  the  Europeans. 

The  Jesuits  saw  in  the  destruction  of  the  palace 
retribution  for  the  persecution  of  Christianity.  Gen- 
erally the  Catholic  writers  attribute  to  this  any  mis- 
fortunes which  befell  the  Japanese,  and  keep  silent 
upon  any  facts  that  tend  to  contradict  this  theory. 

Let  us  return  to  the  meeting  of  the  Dairi  (Mi- 
kado) with  Hideyoshi.  According  to  the  custom 
of  the  time  this  meeting  took  place  with  great  pomp 
and  ceremony.  The  Dairi,  surrounded  by  a numer- 
ous suite  of  courtiers  and  followers,  was  carried  by 
fifty  courtiers,  and  in  a litter  surmounted  by  the 
bird  Pho  (Phoenix),  of  solid  gold,  and  the  sides  of 
the  litter  were  decorated  with  gold  figures  and  col- 
umns. No  one  could  gaze  upon  the  Mikado;  there- 
fore the  litter  was  curtained  with  thin  silk  material, 
through  which  he  could  see  everything. 

Five  days  the  Emperor  stayed  in  Osaka,  and  all 
this  time  Hideyoshi,  with  all  his  relatives,  served 
him;  during  this  visit  the  Mikado  received  Hide- 
yoshi and  the  assembled  daimios  in  solemn  audi- 
ence. Hideyoshi,  with  the  other  daimios,  gave  oath 
to  serve  the  Emperor,  to  defend  his  possessions, 
and  report  to  him  all  appertaining  to  the  affairs  of 
state.  The  Dictator,  who  held  under  his  control 
all  Japan,  like  a true  vassal  went  on  his  knees  before 
his  sovereign  and  grovelled  in  the  dust  before  the 
power  consecrated  by  time  and  custom,  voluntarily 


56 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


taking  upon  himself  the  role  of  a servant  to  the 
descendant  of  the  gods. 

Knowing  the  peaceful  disposition  of  the  Chinese, 
Hideyoshi  thought  the  conquest  of  this  great  coun- 
try would  not  present  any  difficulty.  The  first  etape 
was  to  be  the  campaign  in  Korea,  and  Hideyoshi 
began  energetic  preparations.  Before  beginning 
hostilities  he  had  recourse  to  negotiations  with  Ko- 
rea and  received  the  Korean  envoys,  who  gave  a 
very  vivid  description  of  their  reception.  Hide- 
yoshi, they  say,  was  a man  with  a repulsive  face, 
without  presence.  He  was  very  dark,  with  eyes  that 
shot  fire.  He  sat  on  a three-pillowed  cushion  and 
wore  a hat  of  gauze  and  a dark  robe.  They  were 
offered  very  poor  refreshments  and  afterwards 
Hideyoshi  disappeared  behind  the  screen.  He  soon 
reappeared,  dressed  simply,  with  a baby  in  his  arms, 
moving  about  the  room  as  if  no  one  was  there  and 
ordering  the  Korean  band  to  play  loud  music  for  the 
amusement  of  the  child.  Remarking  that  the  child’s 
linen  needed  changing,  he  handed  it  over  to  a cour- 
tier, after  which  the  Korean  envoys  saluted  him, 
and  that  was  the  only  occasion  they  had  to  look 
upon  Hideyoshi. 

In  his  letter  handed  to  the  Korean  envoys,  Hide- 
yoshi speaks  of  conquering  the  great  empire  of  Min 
and  assigns  to  the  Koreans  the  role  of  his  advance 
guard. 

Such  an  answer  not  being  agreeable  to  the  Korean 
Government,  they  prepared  for  war.  After  a peace 
of  200  years  the  Koreans  were  loath  to  take  up  arms, 
as  the  numerous  militia  figured  principally  on  paper 
and  they  had  no  firearms. 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


57 


Japan  was  in  quite  another  position.  Feudalism 
favoring  warlike  exploits  was  in  full  development. 
Battles,  continual  strifes,  first  in  one  part  of  the 
country,  then  in  another,  was  schooling  for  veterans, 
and  they  were  accustomed  to  victories  under  the 
guidance  of  their  chiefs. 

At  first  150,000  warriors  were  sent  to  Korea 
under  the  command  of  two  sworn  enemies,  Kato- 
Kiomassa  and  the  Christian  Admiral  Konissi,  Hide- 
yoshi  himself  remaining  in  Karatsu.  (Metchnikoff 
is  mistaken  in  saying  that  he  went  to  Korea.) 

The  nth  of  June,  1592,  Konissi  landed  in  Fusan, 
and  taking  the  Korean  fortifications  marched  to 
Seoul.  Kato-Kiomassa  arriving  later,  took  another 
road.  The  Korean  army  offered  no  resistance  and 
the  king  fled  from  the  capital. 

Persecuted  by  the  reproaches  of  his  subjects,  who 
complained  that  they  were  left  defenseless  before  the 
enemy,  he  escaped  with  a large  suite  to  a province 
bordering  on  China.  For  the  flight  of  the  king  only 
horses  caught  in  the  mountains  were  used.  Hungry 
and  overtaken  by  heavy  rains  he  was  obliged  to  seek 
shelter.  All  the  food  was  consumed  by  the  guards,  so 
that  very  little  remained  for  the  king  himself.  Three 
days  later  Kato-Kiomassa  took  the  capital.  Soon 
after  the  Koreans  began  negotiations  for  peace,  but 
they  did  not  stop  hostilities.  The  Chinese  sent  to 
the  aid  of  Korea  5,000  men,  but  this  detachment  was 
beaten  by  the  Japanese.  The  arrival  of  the  Chinese, 
however,  gave  confidence  to  the  Koreans,  who  or- 
ganized guerrilla  warfare,  which  was  very  trouble- 
some to  the  Japanese.  In  China  serious  preparation 
for  war  began,  but  wishing  to  gain  time  advan- 


58 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


tageous  peace  propositions  were  made  to  the  Japan- 
ese. Deceived,  the  Japanese  accepted  a truce  of  fifty 
days  and  gave  up  some  of  their  positions.  At  the 
end  of  this  term  the  Japanese  were  notified  of  the 
arrival  of  the  peace  envoy. 

Very  pleased,  they  sent  an  escort  of  thirty  men; 
but  what  was  their  surprise  when  they  heard  that 
the  party,  with  the  exception  of  two,  had  been  killed, 
these  two  bringing  the  news  of  the  approach  of  the 
Chinese  army.  The  year  1593  began  with  successes 
for  the  Chinese,  but  they  did  not  follow  up  their 
victories.  Soon  after,  China  began  new  negotiations 
of  peace  with  Japan  on  the  following  conditions: 
The  investiture  of  Hideyoshi  by  the  Chinese  Em- 
peror, the  cession  of  a part  of  Korean  territory  to 
Japan,  and  that  Korea  should  pay  tribute  to  Japan. 

The  Chinese  embassy  went  to  Nagoya,  where  they 
were  received  by  Hideyoshi  with  great  cordiality. 
Festivity  followed  festivity,  not  omitting  the  drink- 
ing out  of  one  cup.  Hideyoshi  gave  rich  presents 
to  the  members  of  the  embassy  and  arranged  in  their 
honor  a regatta  on  the  sea,  with  music  and  song. 

Peace,  however,  was  not  concluded,  and  Hide- 
yoshi, deceived  in  his  hopes,  ordered  the  resumption 
of  hostilities.  In  1593  Hideyoshi  received  in  solemn 
audience  the  envoy  of  the  Philippines.  Some  Fran- 
ciscans in  the  suite  of  the  envoy  begged  permission 
to  settle  in  the  country.  Hideyoshi  very  willingly 
consented,  saying,  “I  permit  you  with  all  my  heart, 
but  under  the  condition  that  you  will  not  preach.” 
The  Franciscans,  for  answer,  bowed  low. 

Settling  in  the  country,  they  began  to  intrigue 
against  the  Jesuits  and  open  animosity  resulted  be- 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


59 


tween  the  two  orders.  .Their  imprudences  and  pub- 
lic sermons  aroused  the  anger  of  the  Japanese  au- 
thorities. It  is  reported  that  Hideyoshi  spoke  thus, 
“Even  demons,  if  they  are  quiet  and  live  in  peace  in 
this  country,  will  be  cordially  received;  but  you  with 
your  honeyed  words  are  only  thinking  of  intrigues, 
and  your  continual  quarrels  try  my  patience.” 

His  patience  being  completely  exhausted,  in  1596 
he  issued  another  proclamation  against  the  Chris- 
tians, and  six  Franciscans,  three  Jesuits,  and  seven- 
teen Japanese  Christians  were  crucified  in  Nagasaki. 
During  the  crucifixion  the  following  ukase  was 
read  to  the  people,  “By  my  order  these  people  are 
put  to  death  for  the  reason  that  they  came  under  the 
guise  of  envoys  and  that  they  have  disobeyed  my 
commands.” 

Under  the  influence  of  these  events,  reaction  be- 
gan in  the  country  against  the  Christians.  The  weak 
and  pusillanimous,  who  preferred  to  die  in  their  own 
beds,  renounced  Christianity,  among  them  the  son 
of  the  Prince  of  Bungo;  but  on  the  other  hand  the 
old  Prince  died  as  a martyr. 

In  1596  a new  Chinese  embassy  arrived  in  Japan. 
Upon  the  translation  of  the  investiture  Hideyoshi 
discovered  that  he  had  humbly  begged  for  peace, 
which  had  been  mercifully  accorded  to  him,  and  the 
Dictator  of  Japan  had  been  appointed  as  Chinese 
minister  with  the  safety  of  the  Empire  placed  in  his 
hands.  This  was  too  much  for  the  presumptuous 
Hideyoshi  and  he  ordered  the  Chinese  embassy  to 
depart. 

The  hostilities  began  with  the  seizure  of  the  Ko- 
rean fleet.  Having  taken  Fort  Nam-uan,  the  Japan- 


60  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

ese  marched  on  the  capital,  but  with  the  arrival  of 
the  cold  weather  their  fortunes  changed  and  they 
were  reduced  to  a precarious  condition.  They  ral- 
lied, however,  and  defeated  the  Chinese  commander 
in  an  open  battle.  A week  after  came  the  news  of 
the  death  of  Hideyoshi  and  the  Japanese  army  was 
recalled  to  Japan. 


Chapter  VII 


Nominal  power  of  the  Emperor,  living  in  Kyoto,  passes  in 
reality  to  the  Shoguns  (Taikuns)  of  the  Tokugawa  family, 
who  had  their  capital  in  Tokyo  (former  Yeddo) — Persecu- 
tions of  Christians — Christian  uprising  in  Shimabara  and 
their  extermination  in  Japan — Closing  of  Japan  during  two 
centuries,  under  the  regime  of  Tokugawa. 

As  after  Caesar  follows  Augustus,  who  profiting 
by  the  work  of  his  predecessor  founds  a new  dy- 
nasty, so  after  the  ambitious  Hideyoshi,  dreaming 
of  conquests,  follows  the  cautious  and  circumspect 
Iyeyasu-Tokugawa.  During  the  dictatorship  of 
Hideyoshi,  Iyeyasu  kept  in  the  shadow  and  received 
from  him  Kwanto.  Although  he  distinguished  him- 
self as  a good  general,  the  profession  of  war  was  not 
to  his  taste  on  account  of  his  being  too  fat,  and  he 
preferred  to  occupy  himself  with  science.  At  the 
death  of  Hideyoshi  he  came  to  the  fore.  He  was 
not  a parvenu  like  the  talented  Hideyoshi,  but  could 
boast  of  descending  from  the  Emperor  Seiwa  (859- 
876).  The  only  obstacle  to  the  full  authority  of 
Iyeyasu  was  the  six-year-old  son  of  Hideyoshi, 
named  Hideyori ; but  Hideyoshi  considering  Iye- 
yasu as  the  only  man  capable  of  maintaining  order 
in  Japan,  left  him  in  his  will  the  guardianship  of 
his  son.  The  other  feudal  lords,  kept  down  by  the 
firm  hand  of  Hideyoshi,  did  not  wish  to  recognize 
the  authority  of  Iyeyasu  and  took  up  arms.  In  a 


62 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


decisive  battle  in  Sekigahara,  Iyeyasu  defeated  his 
enemies  (180,000),  securing  the  power  to  his  fam- 
ily for  250  years.  This  battle,  and  many  dramatic 
episodes  connected  with  the  fall  of  the  house  of  Isi- 
da,  Hosokawa,  form  the  subject  of  the  many  Japan- 
ese tragedies.  Among  the  vanquished  was  the 
celebrated  Admiral  Konissi,  who  with  Isida  was 
punished  with  death.  Receiving  in  1603  the  title  of 
Dai-Shogun  (great  Shogun),  Iyeyasu  began  isolat- 
ing the  court  of  the  Emperor  and  gathering  all  the 
affairs  of  state  to  himself  and  his  dynasty.  Iyeyasu 
ordained  that  the  Shoguns  should  report  all  political 
affairs  to  the  Emperor.  He  abolished  the  pilgrim- 
ages of  the  Emperor  to  holy  shrines,  which  were 
formerly  undertaken  so  that  the  Emperors  might 
see  for  themselves  the  needs  of  the  people.  The  dai- 
mios  or  feudal  lords  were  forbidden  to  appear  at 
court,  and  the  western  daimios  were  not  allowed  to 
go  through  Kyoto.  Having  founded  the  capital, 
Yeddo  (present  Tokyo),  Iyeyasu  commanded  all  the 
feudal  princes  to  build  palaces  there  and  live  in  them 
with  their  families  half  of  the  year;  in  case  of  ab- 
sence their  wives  and  children  were  to  be  left  as 
hostages.  Desiring  to  assure  to  his  family  the  title 
of  Shogun  he  resigned  in  favor  of  his  son  Hidetada 
(1606),  and  living  alone  with  his  books  and  study- 
ing history  he  gave  advice  to  his  son  and  directed 
the  politics  of  Japan.  Thus  arose  again  two  powers 
in  Japan,  and  the  palace  of  the  Shogun  was  distin- 
guished by  its  splendor. 

The  Emperor’s  palace  at  Kyoto,  surrounded  by 
gardens,  became  the  permanent  residence  of  the  Em- 
peror, who  rarely  went  beyond  its  precincts,  and 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  63 

when  this  happened  the  litter  was  closed,  so  that  the 
public  might  not  see  him  and  might  only  pray  to 
him  as  a god.  The  time  came  when  the  idea  was 
firmly  established  in  the  minds  of  the  people  that 
he  who  gazed  upon  the  Mikado  should  go  blind, 
and  this  demi-god  in  his  golden  cage  had  no  power. 
It  had  passed  into  the  hands  of  what  the  foreigners 
called  the  Taikun  (great  prince). 

The  position  of  the  Christians  had  become  no 
worse  during  the  rule  of  Iyeyasu.  Although  his 
great  opponent  was  the  Christian  Admiral  Konissi, 
on  the  other  hand  his  allies  were  the  Christian 
princes  of  Omura  and  Arima.  The  Jesuits  affirm 
that  in  the  year  1600  there  were  fifty  churches  built 
and  that  Iyeyasu  showed  kindness  to  the  fathers, 
and  at  the  New-year  felicitation  especially  distin- 
guished Father  Organtino.  In  1604  Nagasaki  was 
quite  a Christian  city  and  the  Jesuits  describe  the 
church  festivals.  The  streets  were  hung  with  car- 
pets and  embroideries,  and  processions  were  of  an 
unusual  splendor. 

Above  the  Bishop,  who  carried  the  Holy  Host, 
was  elevated  a magnificent  canopy.  He  was  pre- 
ceded by  the  clergy  and  a great  procession  of  pil- 
grims. The  sound  of  sacred  music  was  heard  from 
afar,  and  the  noise  of  trumpets,  discharge  of  mus- 
ketry and  cannon.  The  priests,  assisting  at  this 
ceremony,  according  to  Catholic  writers,  wept  for 
joy.  The  greatest  cathedral  in  Nagasaki  was  dedi- 
cated to  the  Virgin.  These  public  church  cere- 
monies show  clearly  that  Christianity  was  not  only 
tolerated  but  already  enjoyed  rights.  True,  certain 
feudal  princes  persecuted  the  Christians,  but  this 


64  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

persecution  had  no  systematic  character.  Iyeyasu, 
as  we  have  seen,  received  the  Bishop  with  great 
ceremony  ( lui  fit  des  honneurs  extraordinaires) . 
Already  even  in  the  capital  the  burial  of  one  of  the 
court  ladies  was  attended  with  such  great  pomp 
that  the  Buddhist  priests  were  devoured  by  envy 
( Creverent  d’envie),  and  complained  to  Iyeyasu, 
who  flew  into  a rage.  He  was  pacified,  however,  by 
his  counsellors,  who  advised  him  to  manage  the 
Christians  on  account  of  commercial  interests. 
Nevertheless,  new  regulations  were  issued  prohibit- 
ing the  court  ladies  from  embracing  Christianity. 

Iyeyasu,  desiring  to  establish  commercial  rela- 
tions with  China  and  other  countries,  encouraged 
trade.  In  1660  the  first  Dutch  traders  arrived  and 
Iyeyasu  closely  questioned  the  Dutch  captain  about 
the  customs  of  their  country.  The  Englishman 
Adams  was  also  cordially  received,  and  Iyeyasu  be- 
stowed upon  him  a title  and  gave  him  land  in  Tsur- 
uga.  He  remained  ten  years  in  Yeddo  (Tokyo)  in 
the  character  of  an  adviser  of  the  Shogun  for  for- 
eign affairs,  building  of  ships,  and  professor  of 
languages  and  literature. 

The  Japanese  now  learned  for  the  first  time  from 
the  Dutch  and  the  English  of  the  division  between 
the  Christians.  The  English  and  Dutch,  as  violent 
Protestants,  acted  openly  against  the  Jesuits  and 
tried  as  much  as  possible  to  influence  the  impression- 
able Japanese.  The  Japanese  reasoned  that  they 
could  keep  the  profits  of  trade  in  dealing  with  the 
more  sensible  Dutch  and  English,  who  were  more 
indifferent  to  religious  questions.  The  situation 
came  to  a climax  when  the  sailors  of  a Portuguese 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


65 


ship  had  a fight  with  the  Japanese  and  when  Iyeyasu 
ordered  them  punished  as  an  example.  The  cap- 
tain, escaping  to  sea  from  the  Japanese,  blew  up  his 
ship. 

Hideyori,  who  was  married  when  still  a child  to 
a granddaughter  of  Iyeyasu,  received  from  his  fa- 
ther, Hideyoshi,  great  wealth  and  lived  in  the  forti- 
fied castle  of  Osaka.  He  and  his  intimates  presented 
the  only  obstacle  to  Iyeyasu  and  his  children,  and 
Hideyoshi  encouraged  him  in  the  outlay  of  enor- 
mous sums  for  the  building  of  a temple.  After  a 
visit  of  Hideyori,  in  which  Iyeyasu  was  very  affable 
to  him,  two  of  the  closest  friends  of  Hideyori,  Kato- 
Kiomassa  and  Asano,  died  mysterious  deaths. 

Seizing  the  first  opportunity  of  displeasure,  Iye- 
yasu by  ruse  and  cunning  took  the  castle  of  Osaka, 
put  to  death  the  followers  of  Hideyori  and  pos- 
sessed himself  of  all  his  treasures.  The  Catholic 
writer  Crasset,  “Histoire  de  l’eglise  chretienne  an 
Japon,”  knows  nothing  of  the  fate  of  Hideyori,  and 
Kostyleff  says  that  Hideyori  escaped  on  a junk  to 
Satsuma,  passing  the  last  of  his  days  in  the  Buddhist 
temple  of  Tze-gan-fuku-se. 

About  this  time  a conspiracy  against  Iyeyasu  was 
discovered,  the  conspirators  being  Christians,  among 
whom  were  the  ruling  prince  in  Arima  and  a con- 
cubine of  Iyeyasu.  The  criminals  were  condemned 
to  death  but  the  sentence  was  commuted  to  exile. 

Don  Miguel,  v^ho  succeeded  his  father  in  Arima, 
becoming  an  apostate,  began  to  persecute  the  Chris- 
tians, and  in  the  name  of  the  Shogun  extirpated 
Christianity  from  Bungo. 


66 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


Soon  followed  the  proclamation  expelling  all 
Christians  from  the  country.  Such  strong  measures 
can  be  explained  thus,  that  although  for  a time 
Iyeyasu  avoided  quarreling  openly  with  the  Chris- 
tians, he  only  bided  the  propitious  moment  when 
he  could  get  rid  of  these  foreigners.  The  Buddhist 
clergy  influenced  him  somewhat  and  on  the  other 
hand  he  hoped  that  the  Dutch  traders  would  take 
the  place  of  the  Portuguese,  whom  he  considered 
dangerous  to  the  unity  and  independence  of  the 
country. 

In  the  proclamation  the  Christians  are  accused  of 
being  traitors  aiming  at  the  destruction  of  the  coun- 
try. “The  Christians,”  it  is  said  in  the  ukase, 
“came  here  deliberately  to  take  possession  of  the 
country.” 

As  result  of  this  proclamation,  107  Jesuits  and 
200  catechists  were  sent  on  junks  to  Makao.  Many 
Japanese  were  exiled  to  the  north  of  Japan.  The 
Catholic  writers  describe  the  Christians  as  being 
assembled  in  the  public  squares  in  holiday  attire  and 
going  happily  to  exile.  Ten  women  of  the  best  fam- 
ilies were  put  into  houses  of  prostitution,  which,  if 
we  can  believe  the  fathers,  were  transformed  by 
their  influence  into  houses  of  prayer  and  humility. 

In  1616  Iyeyasu  was  wounded  while  hunting,  and 
the  culprit  was  not  found.  Iyeyasu  died  at  74  years 
of  age,  and  at  his  death  the  Mikado  elevated  him  to 
the  rank  of  Dai  Gongen  (Highness  of  the  First 
Order,  Light  of  the  East,  and  Great  Incarnation  of 
Buddha).  To  posterity  he  was  known  by  the  name 
of  Gongen  Sama.  and  together  with  the  other  Kamis 
was  worshipped  by  the  faithful. 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


67 


On  his  death-bed  he  called  to  him  the  feudal  lords 
and  gave  them  presents.  The  testament,  ascribed 
to  Iyeyasu  and  containing  one  hundred  paragraphs, 
considered  as  the  foundation  of  the  state  organiza- 
tion of  Japan,  has  been  properly  revised  in  later 
times. 

After  the  death  of  Iyeyasu,  the  Shogun  Hidetada 
followed  his  father’s  politics.  In  1619  foreign 
trade  was  limited  to  Nagasaki  and  Hirado.  In  1621 
the  Japanese  were  prohibited  from  leaving  the  coun- 
try. Concerning  Christianity  it  is  said  that  Hide- 
tada sent  Ibi-massa-yosi  to  Europe  to  study  the 
question.  Ibi-massa-yosi  returned  to  his  country 
after  an  absence  of  six  years  and  was  called  imme- 
diately before  the  Shogun,  who  listened  to  him  un- 
remittingly night  and  day.  When  reminded  by  his 
courtiers  that  he  was  tiring  himself,  Hidetada  re- 
marked, “What  are  my  feelings  in  comparison  with 
the  sufferings  of  this  man  who  has  traveled  on  my 
commission.”  The  report  of  Ibi-massa-yosi  con- 
vinced Hidetada  that  the  Christian  religion  meant 
harm  to  the  country  and  the  persecutions  of  the 
Christians  began  with  renewed  vigor.  Eleven 
Christians  were  beheaded  and  fifty-two  burned  alive 
in  Kyoto.  Before  those  condemned,  marched  the 
herald,  calling  aloud  to  the  multitude  that  these 
people  were  condemned  to  death  because  they  were 
Christians,  and  the  martyrs,  one  of  whom  was  a 
high  court  official,  answered,  “Yes,  we  die  for  Jesus 
Christ.”  Hearing  that  they  went  with  joy  to  their 
death,  the  Shogun  condemned  thirty-seven  more, 
and  even  small  children  showed  the  same  contempt 
of  death. 


68 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


Executions  followed  by  thousands,  and  not  only 
the  Christians  were  punished  by  death,  but  all  those 
who  gave  them  shelter  or  befriended  them  in  any 
way.  A price  was  set  on  the  heads  of  missionaries 
and  Christians,  and  a regular  system  of  espionage 
was  organized.  For  a child  who  would  betray  his 
parents  or  a wife  a husband,  reward  was  augmented. 
In  the  choice  of  execution  they  showed  a remarkable 
inventive  faculty.  Some  were  buried  alive  or 
burned  on  slow  fires,  crucified,  immersed  in  boiling 
water,  torn  apart  by  wild  bulls,  tied  in  sacks  and 
thrown  in  heaps  to  be  burnt  together,  covered  with 
inflammable  materials  and  burnt  as  torches,  pierced 
full  of  pointed  sticks,  etc.  To  torture  the  mothers, 
the  children  were  baked  before  their  eyes. 

All  this  is  reported  not  only  by  the  Jesuits  but  by 
the  Japanese  historians,  and  the  officers  of  the  East 
India  Company  who  were  in  Japan  in  1619.  Koch 
marvels  at  the  firmness  with  which  the  Christians 
faced  death  and  torture,  as  in  the  beginning  of 
Christianity,  when  the  renunciation  meant  rewards 
showered  upon  them.  The  most  terrible  sufferings 
did  not  shake  their  courage,  and  many  carrying  their 
children  went  to  the  stake  with  a smile.  “The  de- 
scription of  these  times,”  says  Gubbins  (“Review  of 
the  Introduction  of  Christianity  into  China  and 
Japan”),  “reads  like  a page  of  Dante’s  Inferno.” 

The  English  and  the  Dutch  in  many  instances  en- 
couraged these  actions,  and  we  have  testimony  that 
an  English  ship,  Elisabeth,  delivered  two  mission- 
aries (Luis  Flores  and  Pedro  de  Zunnis)  to  the  Jap- 
anese, and  they  were  burned  on  the  stake  with  their 
assistants. 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


69 


By  the  ukase  of  1624  all  the  foreigners  were  ban- 
ished with  the  exception  of  the  Chinese  and  Dutch 
who  were  settled  in  Nagasaki.  The  same  Shogun 
prohibited  the  building  of  big  ships  for  ocean  travel, 
thus  isolating  Japan  from  the  pernicious  influences 
of  the  outer  world. 

During  the  Shogunate  of  Iyemidzu  the  persecu- 
tions of  Christians  continued  with  terrible  cruelty. 
The  following  saying  is  attributed  to  this  Shogun : 
“If  my  dynasty  perishes  through  internal  strife,  that 
would  be  a great  misfortune  for  me;  but  if  a span 
of  our  territory  goes  to  the  strangers  it  will  bring 
shame  to  the  Empire  and  will  be  a national  calam- 
ity.” Iyemidzu  ordered  the  test  of  go  fumi  or  go 
bumi  to  be  applied  to  all  foreigners  (Gubbins) ; that 
is,  to  trample  with  the  feet  on  the  board  in  form  of 
a cross  with  the  image  of  the  Saviour  upon  it,  and 
the  Dutch  admitted  to  Nagasaki  fulfilled  this  obli- 
gation. After  1691  the  Dutch  living  in  Nagasaki 
were  treated  like  prisoners  and  their  intercourse  with 
the  outer  world  was  subjected  to  the  strictest  sur- 
veillance. “We  did  not  dare,”  says  Ksempfer,  “to 
observe  our  Sundays  and  holidays,  sing  sacred 
hymns,  pronounce  the  name  of  Christ  or  wear  a 
cross,  etc.”  “Auri  sana  fames  quid  non  mortalia 
pectora  cogis!”  he  exclaims  sorrowfully. 

The  persecutions  of  Christians  terminated  in  a 
bloody  final  act,  the  uprising  of  Shimabara,  which, 
according  to  Dr.  Riess  (“The  Rising  of  Shima- 
bara”), was  the  result  of  several  causes.  The  pos- 
sessions of  Ivonissi  had  been  given  to  one  Terasawa. 
There  was  also  a new  ruling  prince  in  Arima  and  he 
had  augmented  the  taxes.  According  to  his  orders 


70 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


the  peasants  who  would  not  pay  were  burnt  alive 
in  straw  capes,  such  as  are  now  worn  for  the  rain. 
The  contortions  during  the  burning  were  called  the 
dance  of  the  waterproofs  (mino  odori).  Those  who 
rebelled  against  the  taxes,  or  complained,  risked 
their  heads.  Driven  to  despair,  the  Christian  inhabi- 
tants of  Arima  arose  to  the  number  of  30,000  and 
seized  the  castle  of  Shimabara.  At  the  head  of  the 
uprising  was  a youth  of  sixteen  years,  Matsudo 
Siro,  possessed  of  extraordinary  talent.  Popular 
opinion  attributes  to  him  many  miracles.  The  re- 
volt met  at  first  with  success.  The  quelling  of  this 
disturbance  was  not  an  easy  matter,  as  it  first  ap- 
peared, and  the  castle  was  only  taken  by  the  aid 
of  Dutch  warships,  which  bombarded  it  with  great 
success,  to  the  delight  of  the  Japanese.  It  was  only 
after  a siege  of  three  months  that  this  stronghold 
fell.  The  four  hundred  survivors  were  put  to  death. 

Then  began  the  wholesale  extermination  of  Chris- 
tians, and  their  heads  were  empaled  by  thousands  and 
exposed  in  Nagasaki,  while  the  bay  was  filled  with 
corpses.  Stout  (Trans.,  VII,  pt.  Ill)  found  a stone 
slab  in  Tomioka  recording  the  burial  of  3.333  be- 
headed Christians,  erected  by  the  order  of  the  Gover- 
nor in  1648,  who  wished  to  assure  repose  to  those 
wicked  souls,  which  would  rove  on  the  earth. 

Following  the  crushing  of  the  revolt  strict  meas- 
ures were  taken  against  all  foreigners  wishing  to 
penetrate  into  Japan. 

The  Portuguese  in  Macao,  to  whom  the  commerce 
of  Japan  was  of  the  greatest  advantage,  decided  to 
send  an  embassy  to  Japan.  Upon  the  arrival  of  this 
embassy  to  Nagasaki  the  Governor  met  them  with 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


71 


great  cordiality.  Under  different  pretenses  the  Gov- 
ernor induced  them  to  deliver  their  guns,  cannon  and 
all  the  artillery,  and  when  the  Portuguese  stepped 
on  the  shore  they  were  seized  and  all  put  to  death 
with  the  exception  of  thirteen.  The  Japanese  pos- 
sessed themselves  of  all  the  presents,  burnt  the  ship, 
and  sent  the  surviving  Portuguese  home  with  these 
words,  “As  long  as  the  sun  shines  on  the  earth,  the 
same  punishment  will  be  inflicted  on  every  stranger 
who  will  cross  the  threshold  of  Japan.” 

From  this  moment  dates  the  complete  seclusion  of 
Japan.  Only  Chinese  and  Dutch  continued  com- 
mercial relations  with  the  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun. 
Turning  away  from  Europe,  Japan  did  not  possess 
in  herself  the  elements  of  independent  development. 
There  remained  China,  from  whom  she  had  bor- 
rowed before  everything  that  it  could  give, — litera- 
ture, philosophy,  medicine  and  music, — but  that  was 
too  little  for  the  independent  evolution  of  Japan. 
Sharpening  its  faculties  in  imitating  the  Chinese  and 
only  attaining  individuality  in  art,  Japan  intention- 
ally mutilated  herself.  Having  accomplished  all  that 
was  possible  in  this  direction,  Japan  stopped  at  a 
certain  point  and  after  that  remained  in  a state  of 
stagnation  and  lethargy. 


Chapter  VIII 


Awakening  of  Japan— Appearance  of  Europeans — Agitation 
against  foreigners — Fermentation — Restoration  of  Imper- 
ial power — Civil  war  finishes  by  the  defeat  of  the  follow- 
ers of  the  Shogun,  who  retires  to  a monastery. 

Confined  in  the  toils  of  Chinese  civilization,  Japan 
was  suddenly  awakened  from  her  lethargy  in  1853, 
by  the  appearance  of  the  squadron  of  Commodore 
Perry.  All  this  time,  in  spite  of  persecutions,  the 
missionaries  had  tried  to  penetrate  into  the  country. 
We  know  of  Father  Sidotti  in  1709,  who  was  imme- 
diately thrown  into  prison.  There  were  at  this  time 
very  few  Christians  left  in  the  country.  Kaempfer, 
who  was  there  at  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century, 
says  that  in  his  time  were  to  be  found  in  the  prisons 
people  called  Bungo-ko  or  Christians,  who  knew 
only  the  name  of  the  Saviour,  but  who  nevertheless 
preferred  to  die  in  this  stupid  religion  ( einfaeltiger 
Glaube  sterben)  rather  than  to  have  freedom 
through  renunciation  of  the  Saviour. 

In  the  first  half  of  the  nineteenth  century  foreign- 
ers persistently  knocked  at  the  door  of  Japan,  which 
in  spite  of  all  their  efforts  remained  hermetically 
sealed.  Before  the  arrival  of  the  Americans  the 
Dutch  representative  arrived  in  Nagasaki  on  a man- 
of-war  with  a letter  to  the  Shogun,  requesting  that 
five  ports  should  be  opened  to  the  Europeans.  Eng- 
land, it  was  said  in  this  letter,  would  know  how  to 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


73 


enforce  her  demands;  that  at  the  present  time  dis- 
tance was  nothing,  owing  to  steamers,  and  that  Japan 
could  not  resist  in  this  struggle  with  European  pow- 
ers. The  Shogun  upon  receipt  of  this  communica- 
tion was  deeply  impressed,  but  could  not  decide  to 
change  the  law.  In  March,  1846,  the  arrival  of  two 
American  warships  in  Yeddo  produced  a stupefying 
impression,  as  the  ships  seemed  to  the  Japanese 
great  iron  fortresses,  against  which  it  was  useless 
to  struggle. 

In  June,  1853,  to  the  horror  of  the  Japanese,  a 
squadron  of  four  battleships  arrived  under  the  com- 
mand of  Commodore  Perry,  who  conducted  the  af- 
fair with  great  energy,  and  delivering  the  letter  of 
the  President  to  the  high  officials  (he  would  have 
nothing  to  do  with  the  minor  ones),  promised  to 
return  for  the  answer  a year  later. 

The  6th  of  February,  1854,  Perry  arrived  at  Slii- 
moda  with  seven  warships,  and  after  some  hesitation 
on  the  part  of  the  Shogun  it  was  decided  to  open  to 
the  Americans  two  ports,  Shimoda  and  Hakodate, 
and  in  the  summer  of  1854  a treaty  with  the  United 
States  was  signed.  In  1855  the  Russian  Admiral 
Prince  Putiatin  appeared  with  a squadron  at  Shi- 
moda, and  the  28th  of  January  a treaty  between 
Russia  and  Japan  was  signed,  opening  three  ports 
(Shimoda,  Hakodate  and  Nagasaki). 

The  Emperor,  hearing  of  these  treaties  with  Rus- 
sia and  America,  was  displeased  at  the  violation  of 
the  old  laws  concerning  the  foreigners.  However, 
in  spite  of  the  resistance  of  the  Japanese,  the  breach 
was  made  and  one  treaty  followed  another,  always 
augmenting  the  rights  of  the  foreigners. 


74  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

Let  us  look  at  Japan  at  the  time  of  the  signing  of 
these  treaties.  Metchnikoff  says  that  in  the  lapse 
of  two  centuries  Japan  had  enjoyed  peace  and  that 
art  and  science  had  flourished,  but  this  must  be  taken 
with  certain  restrictions.  At  peace,  in  the  interior 
Japan  had  to  contend  with  famine,  plague,  fires, 
earthquakes,  and  floods,  and  these  were  bad  enough, 
according  to  Japanese  writers.  “Strangers,”  says 
Bousquet,  “who  could  have  seen  the  feudal  regime 
in  Japan  thirty  years  ago  would  have  prophesied 
for  it  a long  existence.  All  the  causes  of  the  fall  of 
feudalism  in  Europe  seemed  to  be  set  aside.  There 
was  no  religious  dissension,  dynastic  rivalry,  neither 
philosophic  nor  popular  protests  against  the  divine 
right;  there  was  no  industrial  development  nor  ten- 
dency toward  equality.  Every  class  was  happy  in 
his  appointed  limits;  the  absence  of  peasant  upris- 
ings,  general  contentment  and  simplicity  of  life  kept 
back  revolutionary  agitation  and  the  creation  of  plu- 
tocracy. All  the  relations  between  the  different  ele- 
ments of  society  were  regulated  with  the  precision 
of  a metronome,  and  if  the  happiness  of  a nation 
consists  in  immobility,  then  this  was  the  golden  age 
of  Japan,  such  as  was  never  equalled  in  another 
country.” 

But  a secret  canker  undermined  the  forces  of  the 
state.  The  measures  taken  against  the  ambition  of 
feudal  rulers  had  led  them  to  effeminacy.  Like  the 
power  of  the  Shoguns  passed  into  the  hands  of  lazy 
and  incapable  administrators,  so  tbe  feudal  princes, 
shirking  their  work,  gave  it  into  the  hands  of  their 
ministers  (karo).  In  spite  of  espionage  the  daimios 
intrigued  and  awaited  only  a propitious  moment  to 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


75 


rise  against  the  Tokugawa  dynasty,  whom  they  con- 
sidered as  usurpers,  and  they  were  supported  by  the 
national  party  of  the  Empire.  The  samurai  of  the 
daimios  envied  the  samurai  of  the  Shogun,  who 
occupied  the  best  places  in  the  government. 

The  peasants  under  this  regime  were  not  happy, 
they  were  taxed  40  or  50%  of  their  earnings.  The 
armed  men  gave  them  no  peace  on  the  high  roads, 
and  to  escape  overwork  the  peasants  hid  or  ran  away 
into  the  mountains.  When  the  daimio  or  the  gov- 
ernor passed  along  the  high  road  with  his  numerous 
suite,  consisting  sometimes  of  120  followers,  the 
road  was  cleared  by  heralds  running  before  the  pro- 
cession and  crying  “shitani”  (down),  and  all  know- 
ing what  the  order  meant,  squatted  on  the  edge  of 
the  road.  Meeting  with  these  armed  men  was  not 
always  safe,  for  in  a moment  they  would  fall  upon 
the  unarmed  man  and  cut  him  to  pieces ; and  where 
seek  redress  against  such  a mighty  people?  The 
life  in  the  cities  was  rendered  unbearable  by  turbu- 
lent samurai,  who  meeting  a merchant  were  over- 
bearing, and  at  the  first  disagreement  used  their 
sword;  and  if  the  merchant  was  killed,  no  one  ob- 
jected— he  was  buried  and  that  was  the  end  of  the 
affair. 

Thus  the  peaceful  picture  of  contentment  given  by 
Metchnikoff  is  not  entirely  in  accord  with  the  truth; 
In  the  life  of  the  Japanese  were  many  dark  sides, 
and  they  came  to  light  with  the  appearance  of  the 
foreigners. 

The  concession  made  by  the  Shogun  created  great 
discontent  among  the  armed  class;  the  samurai  felt 
themselves  insulted  by  these  encroachments  of  the 


76  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

foreigners.  An  agitation  began  in  the  country, 
which  resulted  in  acts  of  violence  against  foreign- 
ers. The  affairs  of  the  Shogunate  were  in  the 
hands  of  the  all-powerful  Minister  Ii-Kamon-no- 
Kami.  After  the  death  of  the  Shogun  he  chose 
as  his  successor  a youth  of  12  years,  in  spite  of  the 
opposition  of  the  three  related  houses  of  Owari,  Kii, 
and  Mito.  The  Mikado,  who  was  favorable  to  those 
houses,  persistently  demanded  the  expulsion  of  the 
barbarians,  but  Ii-Kamon-no-Kami  knew  very  well 
that  the  expulsion  of  the  barbarians  was  not  an  easy 
matter  and  quelled  with  an  iron  hand  the  opposi- 
tion of  the  protesting  princes. 

At  this  time  several  “ronins”  resolved  to  give 
their  lives  for  the  good  of  their  country,  and  chose 
the  moment  when  the  minister  with  a numerous 
suite  was  on  his  way  to  the  palace.  Snow  was  fall- 
ing heavily,  and  the  escort,  paying  no  attention  to 
the  murderers,  took  them  for  simple  petitioners. 
Diverting  the  attention  of  the  guard  by  an  attack 
on  the  head  of  the  procession,  the  assassins  reached 
the  palanquin  in  which  rode  the  minister,  cut  off  his 
head  and  sought  refuge  in  flight.  The  head  of  Ii- 
Kamon-no-Kami  was  taken  to  Kyoto  to  the  public 
place,  where  it  was  exposed  with  the  following  in- 
scription, “This  is  the  head  of  a traitor,  who  has 
violated  the  sacred  laws  of  Japan  in  permitting  the 
access  to  the  country  of  foreigners.”  This  exhibi- 
tion lasted  several  hours,  after  which  the  head  was 
taken  to  Yeddo  and  thrown  over  the  walls  of  the 
minister’s  palace. 

After  this  the  attacks  on  foreigners  increased. 
The  14th  of  January,  1861,  the  secretary  of  the 


1 The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  77 

American  legation  was  killed.  In  July  the  “ronins” 
fell  upon  the  English  residences  in  Takanawa,  where 
there  were  several  killed  and  wounded. 

The  representatives  of  England,  France,  and  Hol- 
land removed  to  Yokohama  under  the  protection  of 
their  warships.  English  troops  were  then  stationed 
at  Yokohama.  This  agitation  spread,  owing  to  the 
existing  antagonism  between  the  Emperor  and  the 
Shogun,  the  former  firmly  insisting  on  the  expul- 
sion of  the  foreigners  and  the  latter  unable  to  comply 
with  these  demands. 

In  1863  there  were  new  attacks  and  murders  of 
foreigners.  Several  Englishmen  from  Yokohama, 
riding  on  the  high  road,  met  the  train  of  the  Prince 
Satsuma,  and  instead  of  turning  aside,  continued 
their  way.  Incensed  by  such  insolence,  the  samurai 
cut  to  pieces  the  merchant  Richardson  and  wounded 
several  other  Englishmen.  The  English  minister 
demanded  $300,000  indemnity  from  the  Shogun 
and  $25,000  from  the  Satsuma  prince.  These  de- 
mands were  not  complied  with  and  the  English 
squadron,  consisting  of  ten  ships,  bombarded  Kago- 
shima and  burnt  the  residence  of  the  Satsuma 
prince. 

The  same  energy  was  displayed  by  the  Euro- 
peans when  Prince  Mori  ordered  the  Shimonoseki 
battery  to  open  fire  on  the  passing  European  ships. 
A squadron,  consisting  of  eighteen  American, 
Dutch,  and  French  warships,  arrived  before  Shi- 
monoseki, destroyed  the  battery,  and  landed  troops. 
The  Prince  Mori’s  subordinates  proved  to  the  for- 
eign commanders  that  they  were  acting  under  or- 
ders of  the  Emperor  and  the  Shogun.  The  result 


78  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

was  a new  demand  of  indemnity  of  $300,000  from 
the  Shogun. 

An  uprising  began  in  Nagato,  and  the  Shogun, 
feeling  himself  incapable  of  dealing  with  these  dif- 
ficulties, begged  the  Emperor  to  relieve  him;  this 
request  was  not  granted,  however,  by  the  Emperor, 
who  insisted  on  the  quelling  of  the  disturbances  in 
Nagato. 

The  Court  at  this  time,  like  some  of  the  ruling 
princes,  played  a double  game.  It  loudly  demanded 
of  the  Shogun  the  expulsion  of  the  foreigners, 
knowing  all  the  while  that  it  was  an  impossibility. 
The  expulsion  of  foreigners  was  only  the  watch- 
word for  the  malcontents  and  those  who  sowed  dis- 
cord in  the  country.  The  trusted  entourage  of  the 
Emperor  and  some  ruling  princes  thought  in  this 
manner  to  rid  themselves  of  the  hated  Shogunate. 
The  agitation  against  the  Shogunate  had  already 
begun  in  the  country  and  the  Japanese  historians 
and  publicists  were  working  for  the  return  of  the 
power  to  its  lawful  representative,  the  Mikado,  and 
this  opinion  gained  more  and  more  ground  in  the 
land.  The  leaders  of  this  movement  were  the  kuge, 
Sanjo  and  Iwakura,  the  Samurai  Kido  from  Cho- 
shiu,  Saigo  of  Satsuma,  Itagaki  of  Tosa,  and  some 
secondary  persons,  who  afterwards,  like  Ito  and 
Inouye,  played  a great  role  in  Japan. 

The  Emperor  Komei  died  the  20th  of  January, 
1867,  and  the  fifteen-year-old  Emperor  Mutsu  Hito 
mounted  the  throne. 

In  September  the  Prince  of  Tosa  addressed  a 
letter  to  the  Shogun,  in  the  following  terms,  “You 
should  restore  the  power  to  the  hands  of  the  sover- 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


79 


eign  and  thereby  lay  a foundation  on  which  Japan 
may  take  its  stand  as  the  equal  of  other  nations.” 

This  advice  was  accepted  by  the  Shogun,  who  sent 
a circular,  in  which  he  stated,  that  being  no  longer 
in  a position  to  rule  Japan  he  had  resolved  to  give 
up  his  power  to  the  Imperial  Court.  In  November, 
1867,  he  asked  the  Emperor  to  relieve  him  of  his 
office,  and  his  request  was  granted  by  the  Mikado, 
who  on  the  22d  of  December  proclaimed  the  abol- 
ishment of  the  office  of  the  Shogun,  and  that  from 
this  date  the  Government  of  Japan  would  rest  ex- 
clusively in  the  hands  of  the  Emperor.  This  coup 
d’etat  was  skilfully  carried  out  by  the  intimate  ad- 
visers of  the  Emperor.  Formerly  the  defense  of  the 
Imperial  palace  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  the 
Prince  of  Aidzu.  His  warriors  were  now  set  aside 
and  their  place  was  taken  by  the  army  of  the  princes 
of  Satsuma  and  Tosa. 

The  followers  of  Tokugawa  saw  in  this  coup 
d’etat  an  infringement  of  their  rights  and  took  up 
arms.  They  persuaded  the  former  Shogun  that  the 
first  thing  was  to  remove  the  advisers  of  the  Em- 
peror, and  the  Shogun  marched  on  Kyoto  with  an 
army  of  30,000.  The  Imperial  party  had  only  an 
army  of  6,500,  nevertheless  victory  was  on  their 
side  and  the  army  of  Tokugawa  retreated  in  dis- 
order to  Yeddo. 

The  council  assembled  in  Kyoto,  declared  the  Sho- 
gun a rebel  and  deprived  him  of  all  his  offices.  The 
uncle  of  the  Emperor,  Prince  Arisugawa-no-miya, 
was  named  commander-in-chief  of  the  army.  The 
foreign  representatives  were  notified  of  the  change 
and  that  the  new  Government  would  recognize  all  the 


80  The  Land,  of  the  Rising  Sun 

treaties  with  the  foreign  powers.  The  foreign  min- 
isters declared  that  their  respective  Governments 
would  observe  strict  neutrality  and  they  were  noti- 
fied that  the  Emperor  would  receive  them  in  solemn 
audience;  but  when  the  ministers  of  France,  Eng- 
land, the  United  States,  and  Holland  were  on  their 
way  to  the  palace  the  English  minister  was  attacked 
by  two  fanatics. 

Before  the  coronation,  the  Emperor  in  presence 
of  his  Court  and  the  assembled  feudal  nobility,  call- 
ing to  witness  the  souls  of  his  ancestors,  gave  the 
solemn  oath  that  he  would  call  a deliberative  assem- 
bly; that  all  organic  laws  should  be  presented  for 
public  approval;  that  old  prejudices  and  customs 
should  be  abolished,  and  that  justice  equal  for  all 
would  be  the  great  principle  of  his  reign.  He  an- 
nounced that  he  would  take  the  supreme  command 
of  the  army  fighting  the  rebels.  The  former  Sho- 
gun, counting  all  resistance  useless  and  not  wishing 
to  commit  suicide  (hara-kiri  or  seppuku)  according 
to  Japanese  custom,  retired  to  a small  cell  in  a tem- 
ple of  Ueno,  near  which  were  the  tombs  of  the  Sho- 
guns. 

The  followers  of  the  Shogun,  his  vassals  and 
samurai,  did  not  wish  to  surrender  without  a strug- 
gle, but  their  resistance  was  of  no  avail.  On  the 
14th  of  April,  1868,  the  Imperial  army,  under  the 
command  of  Prince  Arisugawa-no-miya,  took  the 
capital  of  the  Shogun — Yeddo,  which  received  the 
name  of  Tokyo;  that  is,  the  eastern  capital.  A re- 
volt was  raised  in  the  north  by  the  daimios  of  Sen- 
dai and  Aidzu,  but  at  the  end  of  October,  1868, 
it  was  everywhere  crushed.  Only  Enomoto,  taking 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


81 


the  Shogun’s  ships,  departed  to  the  north,  and  seiz- 
ing Hakodate  and  several  points  on  the  island  of 
Yezo,  proclaimed  a republic.  This  ephemeral  re- 
public lasted  but  a short  time  (till  the  year  1869). 
Enomoto  himself,  according  to  Japanese  custom, 
should  have  committed  suicide,  but  thanks  to  the 
intercession  of  Kuroda  (afterwards  Prime  Minis- 
ter), was  pardoned.  Some  years  later,  Enomoto 
was  sent  as  minister  to  Russia,  where  he  negotiated 
the  treaty  for  the  cession  of  Saghalin  in  exchange 
for  the  Kurile  Islands. 

Peace  was  established  in  Japan  and  the  new  reign 
received  the  name  of  “Meidzi”  (brilliant  reign). 

The  Court,  which  had  been  so  energetic  in  demand- 
ing the  removal  of  foreigners,  changed  its  program 
and  made  more  treaties  with  foreign  powers.  From 
this  moment  Japan  entered  the  way  of  reform  and 
changed  its  institutions  after  the  foreign  model. 


Chapter  IX 


The  now  reigning  Emperor  convokes  something  like  a parlia- 
ment— New  movement — Reforms — The  revolt  of  Satsuma 
— Promulgation  of  Constitution — First  day  of  the  Japanese 
Parliament — War  with  China — Abolition  of  consular 
jurisdiction. 

The  1 8th  of  April,  1869,  an  assembly  resembling 
a parliament  was  convoked,  consisting  of  276  mem- 
bers, principally  feudal  lords  and  samurai.  In  this 
assembly,  having  a deliberative  character,  there  were 
no  representatives  from  the  cities  and  rural  class 
and  the  majority  belonged  to  the  conservative  party. 
Thus,  for  instance,  the  assembly  was  against  the 
abolishment  of  the  Japanese  custom  of  hara-kiri  and 
showed  a marked  antipathy  to  Christianity.  Ancient 
Japan  still  spoke  its  word  when  the  Emperor  wished 
to  leave  the  ancient  capital  for  Tokyo.  His  body- 
guard barred  the  way,  supplicating  him  not  to  leave 
the  holy  capital  nor  pollute  himself  by  the  inter- 
course with  foreigners.  Convinced  that  the  Em- 
peror would  not  heed  them,  they  finally  resolved  to 
accompany  him  to  Tokyo,  and  as  there  were  two 
thousand  of  them,  the  Emperor  had  to  accept  their 
escort.  In  the  history  of  every  nation  there  are  mo- 
ments when  whole  classes  magnanimously  sacrifice 
their  rights  and  privileges.  The  movement  begins 
with  the  enlightened  minority;  the  majority,  al- 
though it  does  not  sympathize  in  the  beginning  with 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


83 


the  tendency,  carried  away  by  the  current,  goes  far- 
ther than  it  first  intended.  Thus  it  was  in  Japan, 
when  Kido  composed  his  celebrated  memorial  signed 
by  the  three  powerful  princes,  Satsuma,  Nagato,  and 
Tosa,  in  which  they  relinquished,  in  favor  of  the 
Emperor,  their  feudal  rights.  Willingly  or  not,  the 
other  daimios  followed  suit  and  feudalism,  which 
had  existed  for  centuries,  suddenly  collapsed.  The 
suddenness  of  this  reform  can  be  explained  partly 
by  the  spirit  of  the  time  but  principally  by  the  condi- 
tion of  the  feudal  rulers,  for  we  must  not  forget 
that  the  education  of  the  feudal  lords  was  entirely 
conducted  by  women.  Incapable  of  work  or  activity, 
having  reached  their  majority,  they  were  accustomed 
to  pass  their  time  in  pleasure  and  idleness.  Sur- 
rounded by  handsome  wives  and  concubines,  they 
found  delight  in  music,  singing,  and  dancing,  and 
they  had  all  they  desired. 

The  government,  accepting  the  sacrifice  of  the 
feudal  rulers,  as  a temporary  measure  named  them 
governors  of  the  provinces;  but  this  did  not  last 
long,  for  the  noble  governors  were  soon  superseded 
by  bureaucrats  and  the  provinces  divided  into  depart- 
ments or  ken.  The  feudal  owners  received  a com- 
pensation equal  to  the  tenth  part  of  their  former 
income.  That  was  quite  sufficient,  however,  as  the 
former  income  had  to  be  spent  in  the  keeping  of  a 
great  body  of  armed  men  and  numerous  servants. 
Liberated  from  all  responsibility,  the  feudal  owners 
under  these  circumstances  received  a large  income, 
allowing  them  to  live  with  ease  and  comfort.  Up  to 
the  time  of  the  reforms  the  Japanese  nobility  was 
divided  into  two  classes — the  kuge  and  daimio.  The 


84 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


kuge,  as  relatives  of  the  Imperial  house  and  surpass- 
ing the  daimios  in  rank  and  distinction,  had  not  the 
wealth  of  the  latter.  Several  of  these  daimios,  like 
Satsuma,  Owari,  and  Kaga,  had  great  armies  and 
ruled  large  provinces.  Under  the  new  regime  they, 
lost  their  rights  and  privileges  and  the  daimio  and 
kuge  formed  one  class,  the  kasoku  (noble  families). 
Later,  in  imitation  of  Europe,  the  leaders  in  Japan 
invented  Japanese  titles,  corresponding  to  those  in 
Europe,  of  duke,  marquis,  count,  viscount  and  baron, 
the  title  passing  to  the  eldest  of  the  family.  For  the 
contraction  of  matrimony  the  consent  of  the  Em- 
peror was  necessary,  as  also  was  limited  the  right  of 
adoption,  which  is  very  freely  practised  in  Japan. 
“The  Peers,”  it  is  said  in  the  rescript,  “must  see  that 
their  children  have  an  education  according  to  their 
rank.”  The  title  of  duke  was  given  to  the  represen- 
tatives of  the  house  of  Tokugawa,  to  the  Prince  of 
Satsuma,  to  his  uncle  Shimadzu  Saburo,  and  Prince 
Nagato.  Of  the  twenty-four  marquises,  four  were 
of  the  lower  classes  (Kido,  Okubo,  Nakayama,  Ta- 
dayoshi ) . All  the  ministers  were  made  counts.  The 
title  of  count  was  given  to  sixty  members  of  the 
nobility  and  to  fourteen  who  had  rendered  special 
services  in  the  Restoration.  There  were  created, 
besides,  three  hundred  and  twelve  viscounts  and  six- 
ty-nine barons. 

The  indemnity  which  was  given  to  the  feudal 
lords,  and  the  titles  and  decorations,  which  were 
showered  upon  them  with  a generous  hand,  recon- 
ciled them  to  the  new  regime.  This  was  not  the  case 
with  the  samurai  (shizoku),  who  had  also  received 
an  indemnity,  but  not  enough  to  place  them  in  easy 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


85 


circumstances.  In  1871  the  samurai  were  allowed 
to  go  without  arms,  and  many  of  them,  keeping  the 
Japanese  costume,  adopted  European  hats.  In 
1876  a day  of  rest,  or  Sunday,  was  introduced.  The 
first  to  profit  by  the  benefits  of  tolerance  were  the  few 
Christians,  who  had  suffered  so  much  from  calami- 
ties and  who  stood  firm  in  their  religion  in  spite  of 
all  persecutions.  The  missionaries  flocked  in  great 
numbers  to  the  country  and  began  their  work  quite 
openly.  In  1876  an  order  was  issued  prohibiting  the 
carrying  of  arms,  excepting  by  those  belonging  to 
the  Court,  army,  navy  and  police. 

The  Imperial  period  beginning  so  brilliantly  was 
darkened  by  several  bloody  episodes,  among  which 
the  Satsuma  revolt  plays  a prominent  role.  The  re- 
forms had  gone  so  smoothly  that  all  Japan  seemed 
to  be  applauding.  From  where  could  discontent 
arise  and  what  could  be  the  causes  of  revolt?  How- 
ever, there  were  many  discontented.  First  of  all  the 
agitation  began  among  the  samurai  of  Satsuma, 
Tosa,  Hizen  and  Choshiu,  who  had  rendered  such 
services  to  the  Restoration.  Among  those  discon- 
tented with  the  new  regime  was  the  Prince  of  Sat- 
suma, who  on  every  occasion  stated  his  preference 
for  the  old  times.  But  the  Court  knew  how  to  ap- 
pease this  sulking  prince — it  gave  him  a high  title 
and  dispatched  the  Satsuma  samurai  on  an  expedi- 
tion against  Formosa,  appointing  as  general-in-chief 
the  principal  adviser  of  the  Satsuma  prince,  Saigo 
Takamori,  who  had  taken  a prominent  part  in  the 
Restoration. 

In  spite  of  this  the  agitation  gained  ground,  and 
the  numerous  class  of  samurai,  without  occupation 


86 


The  Landiof  the  Rising  Sun 


or  means,  demanded  some  activity,  and  not  finding 
it,  turned  to  politics. 

About  this  time  began  misunderstandings  between 
Japan  and  Korea,  who  treated  her  neighbor  with 
contempt,  mocking  at  the  adoption  of  the  buffoon 
European  costume.  The  prospect  of  war  was  pleas- 
ing to  the  discontented  and  restless  element  in  Japan, 
but  the  peace  party  predominated  and  Saigo  Taka- 
nori  retired  in  displeasure  to  his  estates.  Following 
this  were  the  disturbances  in  Saga  and  Choshiu, 
where  the  revolutionists  raised  the  old  war-cry 
against  foreigners.  “There  is  but  one  thing  left  to 
us,”  was  said  in  the  proclamation,  “ that  is  to  try 
our  arms  against  those  who  favor  the  foreigners.” 

All  these  uprisings  were  crushed,  but  it  was  not 
an  easy  matter  for  the  government  to  deal  with  the 
revolt  in  Satsuma,  headed  as  it  was  by  the  popular 
and  beloved  hero  Saigo  Takamori. 

There  was  a rumor  spread  among  the  Satsuma 
samurai  that  emissaries  had  arrived  in  the  country 
to  kill  Saigo.  We  will  not  dwell  on  the  episode  of 
this  struggle  except  that  it  finished  unfortunately 
for  Satsuma.  The  Imperial  army  after  energetic 
resistance  on  the  part  of  the  insurrectionists  defeated 
them  in  several  encounters.  Among  those  killed  was 
the  great  Saigo. 

Thousands  visit  the  monument  of  this  popular 
general,  whose  soul,  according  to  popular  belief, 
passed  to  Mars.  With  Saigo  perished  the  last  repre- 
sentative of  old  feudal  Japan.  His  mighty,  athletic 
figure,  and  his  extraordinary  capacities,  stamping 
him  a national  hero,  were  not  in  harmony  with  the 
new  bureaucratic  regime  of  Japan.  Snatched  wholly 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


87 


from  another  epoch,  he  can  be  placed  side  by  side 
with  the  great  dictators  Yoritomo,  Hideyoshi,  and 
others. 

After  this  last  flash  of  feudalism  Japan  marched 
steadily  on  the  road  to  reform,  culminating  in  the 
promulgation  of  a Constitution  in  1889,  which  came 
into  active  force  the  following  year. 

This  constitutional  movement  began  with  the  fall 
of  feudalism.  The  creation  of  a Senate  (1875)  and 
of  provincial  assemblies  (1879)  did  not  satisfy  pub- 
lic opinion,  which  clamored  insistently  for  a popular 
assembly.  Petitions  and  memorials  poured  in  upon 
the  government,  and  among  the  petitioners  were 
high  officials,  such  as  Okuma,  Soyeshima,  Goto,  Ita- 
gaki,  and  others.  By  the  Constitution  the  person  of 
the  Emperor  is  declared  “sacred  and  inviolate.” 
Out  of  332  paragraphs  of  the  Constitution,  17  are 
dedicated  to  the  Emperor  and  his  dynasty,  whose 
lineal  succession  was  unbroken  for  “ages  eternal.” 

The  throne  passes  to  the  male  descendant  of  the 
Emperor,  not  necessarily  to  the  sons  of  the  Empress, 
as  in  the  present  case  the  heir  apparent  is  not  the 
son  of  the  Empress,  but  of  a lady-in-waiting.  The 
Emperor  approves  the  laws,  convenes,  closes,  or  dis- 
solves the  house  of  deputies;  in  case  of  urgent  neces- 
sity or  to  avert  public  calamities  the  Emperor  may 
issue  ordinances  in  place  of  law,  but  these  ordinances 
must  be  approved  by  the  following  Diet  or  become 
invalid  in  the  future.  The  executive  power  is  en- 
tirely in  the  hand;s  of  the  Emperor,  as  also  the 
supreme  command  of  the  army  and  navy.  He  de- 
clares war.  makes  peace  and  concludes  treaties, 
confers  titles,  rank,  orders,  and  other  marks  of 


88  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

honor;  orders  amnesty,  pardon,  commutation,  and 
rehabilitation. 

In  the  third  chapter  of  the  Constitution  it  is  stated 
that  the  Imperial  Diet  consists  of  two  houses,  the 
House  of  Peers  and  the  House  of  Commons.  The 
House  of  Peers  comprises  the  following  members: 
i.  Members  of  the  Imperial  family;  2.  Princes  and 
marquises  after  attaining  the  age  of  25 ; 3.  From 
the  persons  with  the  title  of  count,  viscount  and 
baron,  only  a certain  number  (fifth  part)  are  elected 
by  their  corporations  for  a term  of  seven  years;  4. 
In  each  Fu  (chief  town)  and  ken  (department)  one 
member  from  the  fifteen  highest  taxpayers  is  elected 
for  seven  years;  5.  A limited  number  of  life  mem- 
bers, appointed  by  the  Emperor  for  meritorious  ser- 
vices to  the  State,  or  for  erudition. 

The  House  of  Commons  consists  of  deputies, 
elected  by  ballot  one  per  2,000  electors  (131,285 
inhabitants).  The  voter  must  be  25  years  of  age 
and  pay  direct  national  taxes  of  not  less  than  $15  a 
year. 

Out  of  a population  of  46,540,754,  there  are  only 
459,309  paying  direct  taxes  of  $15.  If  we  compare 
that  with  England  we  find  the  following  propor- 


tions : 

England.  Japan. 

Population  42,422,000  46,540,754 

Number  of  members  of  parliaments 670  300 

Electors,  more  than 40,000,000  457,309 


The  expenses  of  the  Ministry  of  the  Interior,  al- 
ready previously  approved  by  former  laws,  do  not 
require  to  be  submitted  to  the  Imperial  Diet.  The 
same  is  the  case  with  the  expenses,  which  according 
to  the  Constitution  are  the  prerogatives  of  the  Em- 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


89 


peror.  Thus  on  the  basis  of  the  Constitution,  out 
of  a budget  of  80,000,000  (the  sum  named  at  the 
convening  of  the  first  Diet),  only  12,000,000,  or 
more  than  a sixth  part  is  submitted  for  the  approval 
of  the  Diet. 

The  capital  put  on  a festive  appearance  on  the  day 
of  the  promulgation  of  the  Constitution,  but  these 
festivities  were  darkened  by  the  tragic  death  of  Min- 
ister Mori,  who  was  looked  upon  as  one  of  the  strong 
partisans  of  Europeanism.  He  was  accused  of  dis- 
respect to  the  temple  of  Ise.  When  he  visited  this 
temple  and  when  the  priest  present  upon  this  occa- 
sion did  not  allow  him  to  go  farther,  Mori  lifted 
with  his  cane  the  hanging  and  peeped  into  the  inter- 
ior of  the  temple.  The  avenger  of  the  outrage  to 
this  holy  shrine,  Nishino  Buntaro,  killed  the  Minister 
with  a kitchen  knife,  not  wishing  to  pollute  with  the 
blood  of  the  Minister  the  noble  Japanese  sword. 
This  unsolicited  defender  of  the  old  faith  became 
the  hero  of  the  day,  his  name  rang  in  poetry,  and  his 
tomb  was  covered  with  flowers  and  offerings.  His 
admirers  even  considered  erecting  a monument  to 
him,  but  the  government  put  a stop  to  this  agita- 
tion, forbidding  the  newspapers  to  mention  the  name 
of  Nishino  Buntaro. 

The  elections  took  a turbulent  form  in  many  places 
and  sometimes  ended  in  a hand-to-hand  fight  be- 
tween the  followers  of  different  parties.  All  those 
who  know  the  Japanese  and  their  distinguishing  fea- 
ture, politeness,  are  struck  by  these  exhibitions  of 
rough  violence  and  must  see  that  in  the  ordinary 
run  of  social  life  a new  current  has  appeared.  In 
the  newspaper  world  also  reigned  a new  spirit.  As 


90 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


an  example,  the  whole  staff  of  a humoristic  paper 
was  condemned  to  the  severest  punishment  for  lese- 
majesty.  But  all  this  did  not  retard  the  convening 
of  the  Diet  the  7th  of  November,  1890. 

The  opening  of  Parliament  was  a gala  day  in  the 
capital ; all  the  streets  were  hung  with  national  flags 
(red  sun  on  the  white  ground)  and  variegated  gar- 
lands and  lanterns,  and  filled  with  people.  Soldiers 
in  new  uniforms,  and  police,  lined  the  way  the  Em- 
peror should  pass.  Near  the  Parliament  there  was 
comparative  quiet.  The  Parliament  Building  is  con- 
structed of  wood,  several  stories  high,  resembling 
European  barracks.  At  two  o’clock  in  the  central 
hall  the  Peers  assembled,  with  the  Count  Ito  at  their 
head,  dressed  in  gold-embroidered  uniforms,  and 
took  the  right  side.  The  throne  stood  on  an  eleva- 
tion, and  above  it  was  something  resembling  a Phry- 
gian cap,  the  old  head-dress  of  the  Japanese  em- 
perors. The  diplomatic  corps  and  the  press  occu- 
pied the  boxes ; women  were  not  admitted. 

At  two  o’clock,  amidst  the  firing  of  cannon  and 
the  strains  of  the  national  hymn,  the  Emperor,  pre- 
ceded by  the  high  court  officials,  carrying  the  Imper- 
ial regalia,  accompanied  by  the  princes,  entered  the 
Parliament.  The  Ministers  took  their  place  at  the 
right  of  the  throne  and  the  Emperor  delivered  his 
address.  After  the  address  a salute  of  one  hundred 
and  one  guns  was  fired  and  the  cortege  left  the  Par- 
liament. Among  the  Peers  only  the  Satsuma  prince 
was  remarked  with  the  old  Japanese  top-knot,  recall- 
ing ancient  Japan. 

The  Parliament  Building,  constructed  after  the 
plans  of  a German  architect,  in  its  interior  decora- 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  91 

tion,  electric  lights,  and  braided  livery  of  the  door- 
keeper, in  no  way  recalls  old  Japan.  Only  in  the 
servants’  quarters,  one  finds  matting,  braziers  (hi- 
bachi),  and  things  pertaining  to  the  every-day  life 
of  the  Japanese. 

The  House  of  the  Deputies  is  formed  of  nine 
Latin  V’s,  spread  fanshape  in  the  form  of  a semi- 
circle. Three  hundred  deputies  are  divided  into 
nine  sections.  Every  section  elects  out  of  its  midst 
permanent  members  of  the  committees  and  commis- 
sions. The  V’s  are  separated  one  from  the  other  by 
passages,  converging  to  one  point,  where  are  placed 
the  tribune,  the  seat  of  the  Speaker,  the  secretaries 
of  the  House,  and  the  Ministers. 

The  places  are  drawn  by  lot,  resulting  in  the  pecu- 
liar characteristic  that  there  is  not  the  usual  group- 
ing of  parties.  Before  the  seat  of  each  deputy  is  a 
desk,  on  the  top  of  which  is  a number.  When  he 
occupies  his  seat  he  raises  the  top  and  the  number 
can  be  seen  from  all  sides.  Formerly  the  deputies 
were  addressed  only  by  their  numbers,  but  this  cus- 
tom is  no  longer  practiced  except  by  a few  conserva- 
tives, who  say,  “No.  — has  said  so  and  so.”  When 
the  orator  wishes  to  speak  he  calls,  “Mr.  President, 
No.  56,”  not  mentioning  his  name.  This  cry  arises 
sometimes  from  different  ends  of  the  House,  every 
one  trying  to  catch  the  eye  of  the  President. 

The  orators  speak  from  their  places  or  mount  the 
tribune.  All  those  who  have  witnessed  a session 
of  the  House  are  struck  by  the  extraordinary  calm 
and  aplomb  displayed  by  the  Japanese  deputies.  In 
other  places  where  the  representative  institutions 
have  taken  root  one  often  sees  persons  who  through 


92  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

timidity,  nervousness,  or  fear  get  confused  and  fin- 
ish by  a complete  fiasco.  But  the  Japanese  deputy 
delivers  his  speech  before  his  listeners  with  as  much 
self-possession  as  if  he  were  addressing  a few  close 
friends.  The  speeches  are  businesslike  and  uni- 
formly monotonous,  as  the  House  does  not  encour- 
age flowery  dramatic  exclamation  and  oratorical 
display.  Four  hours  is  too  short  a time  and  the 
speeches  must  be  concise  and  full  of  contents,  as  the 
Japanese  language  is  distinguished  by  its  lack  of 
clearness  and  confusing  character. 

The  new  conditions  called  forth  new  orators,  such 
as  Suyematsu  Keigo,  who,  forsaking  the  flowery  and 
obscure  Chinese  rhetoric,  adopted  short  and  clear 
phrases.  At  first  the  listeners  smiled  at  this  innova- 
tion, but  soon  Suyematsu  Keigo  had  followers. 
There  is  even  an  orator  in  the  European  style,  In- 
ouye  Kakugoro.  Japan,  having  before  its  eyes  the 
European  obstructionists,  profited  by  the  experience 
and  guaranteed  its  Parliament  from  excesses,  giving 
great  power  to  its  Speaker  and  making  him  indepen- 
dent of  the  assembly.  Each  House  chooses  three 
candidates,  one  of  whom  is  appointed  by  the  Em- 
peror as  Speaker. 

The  system  of  ideographic  signs  made  it  almost 
impossible  to  take  down  the  speeches  according  to 
European  methods,  but  thanks  to  the  efforts  of  Me- 
tamoto,  stenography  was  introduced,  and  thirty-six 
stenographers,  receiving  from  two  to  three  dollars 
a day,  are  at  work  in  the  Parliament. 

What  was  the  result  of  the  first  session  of  the 
Diet  ? The  House  took  a resolution  on  the  import- 
ant question  of  the  koseki  (registration,  which  had 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  93 

existed  for  a thousand  years).  In  every  district 
bureau  there  is  a register  in  which  a page  is  conse- 
crated to  every  Japanese  registered  in  the  district; 
all  the  principal  events  of  his  life,  birth,  marriage, 
travels,  change  of  name,  birth  of  children,  adoption, 
inheritance,  are  written  thereon.  The  House  ap- 
proved the  law  on  weights  and  measures,  and  re- 
jected the  law  on  lawyers  and  the  poor-law.  Most 
of  the  time  was  spent  on  the  budget  and  every  effort 
was  made  to  cut  down  the  salaries.  Only  one  thou- 
sand pounds  was  left  to  the  Prime  Minister,  and  to 
the  judges  a mere  pittance  (from  £85  to  £400  a 
year).  The  English  paper,  speaking  of  this  Diet, 
remarks,  “Much  cry,  but  little  wool.” 

We  may  add  also  that  the  deputies  tried  to  make 
restrictions  concerning  foreigners  residing  in  the 
country  and  possessing  lands  unlawfully  under  Jap- 
anese names. 

Together  with  the  constitution,  the  departments 
were  organized  on  a new  system.  At  the  head  of 
each  department  was  placed  a minister  with  one  or 
two  assistants;  each  department  was  divided  into 
bureaus  with  a director  at  their  head  and  all  the  gov- 
ernment employees  were  obliged  to  pass  an  exam- 
ination. 

The  Judicial  organization  was  made  on  German 
and  French  lines,  and  there  were  created  justices  of 
peace,  provincial  or  district  courts,  Court  of  Ap- 
peal, and  a Court  of  Cassation. 

While  the  penal  code  on  new  lines  was  easily  ac- 
cepted, the  code  on  civil  law  and  civil  procedure 
met  with  great  opposition  on  the  part  of  the  Japan- 
ese public,  who  protested  against  borrowing  Euro- 


94  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

pean  laws,  which  had  nothing  in  common  with  the 
ancient  customs  and  legal  ideas  of  the  Japanese. 
The  greatest  lawyers  and  the  faculty  of  law  at  the 
University  of  Tokyo  joined  in  this  protest. 

The  circle  of  reforms  was  completed  with  these 
legislative  measures.  The  Japanese  adopted  as 
fast  as  possible  European  institutions,  guns,  war- 
ships, means  of  transportation  and  all  that  Europe 
offered  in  science  and  technics,  showing  by  this 
wholesale  borrowing,  as  they  admit  themselves, 
great  eclecticism.  They  point  for  example  to  their 
own  soldiers,  saying,  “Look ! his  boots  are  Austrian, 
his  uniform  French,  and  his  kepi  German.”  At  the 
earliest  possible  moment  they  got  rid  of  their  Euro- 
pean and  American  instructors,  paying  them  off  with 
large  pensions,  and  in  so  doing  catered  to  the  na- 
tional hatred  of  foreigners.  At  the  same  time  they 
profited  largely  and  succeeded  in  making  a good 
fighting  machine  of  their  country. 

These  adaptations,  as  in  all  reform  movements, 
were  not  devoid  of  comical  episodes.  For  instance, 
what  can  be  funnier  than  a Japanese  making  his 
New-year  visits  in  a badly  made  evening  dress  with 
short  trousers  and  Japanese  sandals,  and  on  his  head 
a top  hat  of  another  epoch. 

Later  we  will  dwell  longer  on  the  subject  of 
whether  the  European  customs,  ethics,  and  ideals 
have  been  really  assimilated  by  the  Japanese  and 
whether  all  these  adopted  improvements  of  science 
and  technics  have  made  another  man  of  him.  We 
will  only  observe,  in  passing,  that  this  epoch  of 
adaptation  did  not  always  go  smoothly — there  were 
flashes  of  reaction  in  the  name  of  old  Japan,  which 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


95 


each  time  demanded  a victim.  .Thus  perished  at  the 
hand  of  an  assassin  the  statesman  Okubo,  then  Mori, 
and  an  attempt  was  made  on  the  life  of  Okuma, 
when  he  took  measures  for  the  revision  of  treaties 
and  the  opening  of  the  whole  country  to  foreigners; 
but  the  champions  of  old  tradition  were  unable  to 
stem  the  forward  movement. 


Chapter  X 


Condition  of  religion  in  Japan — The  chances  of  Christianity. 

In  our  historical  sketch  we  have  already  spoken 
of  the  religious  beliefs  of  the  Japanese  and  how  they 
succeeded  and  complemented  each  other.  In  the  be- 
ginning of  the  reign  of  the  present  Emperor  the 
government,  wishing  to  return  to  the  national  re- 
ligion (Shintoism),  did  all  in  its  power  to  uproot 
Buddhism.  This  resulted  in  the  giving  back  to 
Shintoism  of  many  Buddhist  temples,  thereby  de- 
priving the  Buddhists  of  a great  income.  Buddhism 
already  in  the  preceding  century  had  lost  its  vitality, 
and  this  stroke  definitely  crushed  it.  Confucianism 
and  Shintoism  were  unable  to  fill  its  place  and  the 
government  changed  its  views  on  religion,  and  at 
the  present  time  one  can  say  that  practically  there  is 
no  State  religion  in  Japan.  Every  sect  avails  itself 
of  the  good  disposition  of  the  authorities,  who  only 
demand  one  thing — the  obedience  to  law.  The  Jap- 
anese school  is  without  any  religious  instruction 
(confession’s  loss). 

As  regards  religion,  the  Japanese  can  be  divided 
into  two  categories.  Among  the  common  people 
gross  superstition  and  formalism  prevails  and  among 
the  enlightened  class  complete  atheism  and  skepti- 
cism, as  the  result  of  Confucianism  and  Buddhism. 

Buddhism  in  its  pure  form  recognizes  only  non- 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  97 

existence — the  world  is  a dream  and  life  a casualty 
without  meaning’  or  aim.  The  absolute  does  not 
exist  in  this  world,  humanity  cannot  grasp  it,  and 
therefore  it  is  foolish  to  imagine  that  divinity  trou- 
bles itself  with  the  fate  of  humanity.  All  earthly 
joys  in  the  face  of  Nirvana  are  childish  illusions. 
The  fear  of  new  life  (transmigration  of  souls) 
makes  the  individual  creature  strive  for  purity  in 
order  to  disappear  into  eternity.  But  which  road  to 
choose,  what  life  to  lead,  if  the  vanity  of  all  that 
is  earthly  is  proven  and  with  non-existence  at  the 
end?  If  the  future  holds  nothing  but  rest  and 
the  foretaste  of  Nirvana,  then  man  must  choose  an 
ascetic  life  and  patiently  await  non-existence  or  seize 
all  the  joys  which  life  offers,  as  beyond  there  is 
nothing. 

Ascetics  certainly  exist,  but  in  the  minority;  and 
the  others,  who  give  themselves  to  earthly  pleasures, 
form  the  great  majority  of  Japanese  society.  This 
was  the  soil  in  which  began  the  planting  of  Chris- 
tianity at  the  end  of  the  nineteenth  century.  In  the 
beginning,  thanks  to  the  missionary  schools,  in 
which  the  Japanese  principally  strove  to  acquire  for- 
eign languages  and  sciences,  Christianity  could  boast 
of  great  success.  In  a very  short  time  Christianity 
counted  more  than  100,000  followers.  Then  came 
a reaction  in  the  national  spirit  and  the  Christian 
movement  stopped  for  a long  period.  Seeing  the 
modest  success  of  Christianity  to-day,  one  involun- 
tarily compares  it  to  the  mighty  religious  enthusi- 
asm which  swept  over  Japan  in  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury, and  asks  the  question,  what  are  the  causes  of 
this  failure? 


98 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


It  has  been  already  pointed  out  that  Japanese,  edu- 
cated to  atheism  and  indifference,  were  not  in  the 
nineteenth  century  inclined  to  accept  Christianity. 
In  the  sixteenth  century  the  teachers  of  Christianity 
were  exclusively  Catholics,  and  the  Japanese  em- 
bracing it  never  suspected  that  there  were  divisions. 
So  only  upon  arrival  of  the  Protestants,  English  and 
Dutch,  there  began  a reaction  against  Christianity. 
At  the  present  time  there  is  a struggle  for  predomi- 
nance between  the  Catholics  and  Greek  Orthodox, 
and  as  for  the  Protestants,  every  sect  sends  its  rep- 
resentatives and  this  rivalry  certainly  does  not  lead 
to  the  strengthening  of  the  Christian  religion.  To- 
gether with  the  Protestant  sects,  there  are  rational- 
istic teachings  which  please  the  Japanese  by  their 
novelty. 

In  view  of  the  advance  of  Christianity  the  follow- 
ers of  the  old  religions  started  up  to  resist,  and  they 
subjected  the  Christian  teaching  to  the  most  unspar- 
ing criticism.  One  of  these  detractors  of  Christian- 
ity places  on  one  plane  the  Japanese  cosmogony  and 
the  Bible,  both  of  which  he  treats  as  fables  which 
cannot  sustain  any  criticism. 

If  God  was  Almighty  he  could  have  preserved 
man  from  sin  and  then  there  would  be  no  need  of 
redemption. 

Steeped  to  the  marrow  in  Confucianism,  the  Jap- 
anese, like  the  ancient  Greeks,  cannot  understand  the 
teaching  of  sinfulness,  and  where  there  is  no  sin  is 
no  redemption.  “To  comprehend  sin,”  sa3rs  Tori 
Takahasi  (Far  East,  April,  1898),  “one  must  be 
born  a Semite.”  Another  Japanese  says  that  if  his 
countrymen  must  throw  off  obsolete  Buddhism  and 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


99 


choose  a new  philosophical  contemplation  of  the 
world,  the  nearest  and  the  most  comprehensible 
would  be  agnosticism  or  unitarianism. 

As  for  Christian  ethics,  they  cannot  reconcile  that 
for  sake  of  Christ  one  must  leave  father  and  mother. 
This  is  contrary  to  Japanese  ethics,  which  places 
higher  than  all,  loyalty  to  one’s  sovereign  and  self- 
sacrificing  devotion  to  one’s  parents. 

Here  are  in  a few  strokes  the  principal  obstacles 
which  Christianity  encountered  in  Japan;  but  if  one 
takes  into  consideration  that  the  Christian  propa- 
ganda is  comparatively  recent  (30  years)  it  is  im- 
possible to  judge  of  its  ultimate  success.  The  Jap- 
anese people,  as  they  say  themselves,  are  inconstant, 
and  the  first  successes  of  Christianity  in  Japan  were 
due  to  its  being  the  fashion;  but  when  the  fashion 
passed  and  under  the  influence  of  reaction  arose  the 
cry,  “Japan  for  the  Japanese,”  many  followers  of 
Christianity  fell  off,  but  on  the  other  hand,  many  re- 
mained firm  in  their  faith.  The  enemies  of  Chris- 
tianity pointed  out  that  the  Christian  Japanese  could 
not  be  good  patriots;  but  the  last  war  with  China 
proved  the  contrary,  and  the  Christian  soldiers  and 
officers  proved  their  valor  and  patriotism  on  the 
battle-field. 

This  served  the  cause  of  Christian  propaganda, 
which  gained  many  adherents  among  the  Japanese 
soldiers.  It  is  beyond  doubt  that  although  Chris- 
tianity has  not  made  the  sudden  strides  that  could 
have  been  expected  in  the  beginning,  it  does  not  lose 
ground  and  has  followers  in  all  the  spheres  of  Jap- 
anese society.  At  the  opening  of  the  first  Parlia- 
ment the  Speaker  was  a Christian  and  Christians 


100  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

occupied  prominent  positions  in  the  Supreme  Court, 
Army  and  Navy  (several  admirals). 

When  Christianity  was  first  introduced  into  Japan 
(sixteenth  century)  it  was  received  with  enthusiasm 
and  became  a part  of  the  bone  and  sinew  of  the  peo- 
ple, who  showed  the  force  of  their  conviction  by 
dying  as  martyrs.  In  later  times  Christianity  came 
under  a foreign  flag  as  a thing  of  fashion,  and  the 
Japanese,  according  to  his  taste  or  worldly  consid- 
erations, became  Greek  Orthodox,  Catholic,  or  Prot- 
estant. It  is  difficult  to  predict  the  ultimate  success 
of  Christianity  when  one  sees  that  in  30  years  there 
are  no  more  than  150,000  Christians  (25,000  Ortho- 
dox), a very  small  percentage  of  a population  of 
46,000,000.  But  the  seeds  are  cast  and  the  future 
only  can  show  what  the  harvest  will  be.  One  thing 
is  clear,  however,  that  the  Japanese  in  assimilating 
Christianity  will  give  it  their  national  color. 


PART  SECOND 


PERSONAL  IMPRESSIONS 
Chapter  XI 

First  day  in  Japan — Kobe — European  quarter — Hiogo — Jinrik- 
sha — Street  life— Japanese  houses — Hot  springs  of  Arima 
— Temple  of  Ikutonomiya — Monument  to  Kiyomori — 
Osaka — Nara — Statue  of  Buddha. 

Every  one  is  familiar  with  that  strange,  restless 
feeling  of  curiosity  which  takes  possession  of  the 
traveler  at  the  moment  he  makes  acquaintance  with 
a new  country.  He  is  carried  away  by  his  desire  to 
see  all  and  his  unquenchable  thirst  for  more  and 
more  new  impressions.  All  this  I felt  at  the  sight 
of  the  Japanese  port  of  Kobe,  where  the  Messageries 
Maritimes  ships  put  in  for  more  than  twenty- four 
hours  on  their  run  between  Shanghai  and  Yoko- 
hama. 

At  first  glance  Kobe  presents  but  little  which  ap- 
pears Japanese.  It  is  a pretty,  clean,  well-ordered 
European  town,  beautifully  situated  at  the  foot  of  a 
high  mountain  and  having  a good  landing  quay. 
Kobe  is  the  center  of  a large  trade,  occupying  in  the 
import  and  export  trade  the  second  place  after  Yoko- 
hama. The  European  settlement,  before  the  new 
treaties  on  consular  jurisdiction,  was  governed  by 
its  own  municipal  council,  had  its  own  European 


102  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

police.  On  the  whole  it  is  very  much  like  all  Euro- 
pean settlements  in  the  East.  One  cannot  apply  to 
them  the  European  word  “town” — there  are  no 
many-storied  houses,  huddled  together  and  narrow, 
dirty  streets  with  a poverty-stricken  and  forlorn 
population  of  big  cities.  It  reminds  one  more  of 
Tzarskoye  or  Pavlovsk  with  their  rows  of  hand- 
somely constructed  houses  in  the  midst  of  green 
lawns  and  gardens  of  blossoming  plants.  Excellent 
roads  and  broad,  shady  alleys  produce  a gay,  agree- 
able impression,  and  certainly  in  every  settlement 
there  are  offices,  banks  and  shops,  and  in  this  re- 
gard the  settlements  resemble  our  own  towns.  Liv- 
ing in  one  of  these  beautiful  houses  with  a large 
garden  one  seems  to  be  all  the  year  round  in  the 
country.  .The  English  generally  are  past-masters 
in  the  art  of  arranging  their  lives  on  a large,  com- 
fortable scale,  and  in  the  Far  East  they  live  sur- 
rounded by  ease  and  luxury  such  as  even  wealthy 
persons  cannot  have  in  Europe.  But  there  must 
be  some  compensation  for  separation  from  family 
and  home  and  the  deprivation  of  theatres,  music, 
and  all  the  charms  of  European  life.  This  Euro- 
pean quarter,  however,  with  its  luxury  and  grand 
scale  of  living  is  in  no  way  original,  and  what  in- 
terests the  stranger  is  the  native  quarter  with  its 
characteristic  types  and  customs.  Therefore  he  does 
not  remain  long  in  Kobe,  but  hastens  to  Hiogo, 
which  is  much  larger  than  its  neighbor.  One  finds 
at  one’s  disposition  a neat  little  hand-vehicle  (jin- 
riksha)  drawn  by  a man.  The  first  time  one  rides 
in  it  one  feels  conscience-stricken  to  treat  a man  as  a 
beast  of  burden,  but  the  feeling  soon  grows  dull, 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  103 

and  one  often  hears  a stranger  urging  his  man  on 
with  a cry  “hayaku”  (quicker).  These  human 
horses  are  very  careful  when  they  come  to  a hollow 
in  the  road  or  descend  a steep  incline,  and  they  know 
very  well  what  sights  to  show  to  a European.  They 
trundle  him  along  in  the  streets,  showing  him  the 
shops  where  curios  are  sold,  and  are  sure  to  receive 
a certain  commission  from  the  shopkeeper.  The 
costume  of  this  kurumaya  is  original.  He  wears  a 
round  hat  like  a washbasin  upside  down,  or  a big 
mushroom,  on  his  head;  a short  blue  jacket,  and  in 
cold  weather  a red  shawl  or  blanket,  narrow  blue 
trousers,  and  straw  sandals  on  his  feet. 

The  streets  are  filled  with  bright  life  and  bustle. 
Japanese  women  in  colored  kimonos,  waddling  like 
ducks,  scrape  along  in  their  wooden  galoshes,  not 
to  mention  a whole  collection  of  children  of  all  ages, 
tiniest  babies,  tied  to  the  back  of  their  brothers  and 
sisters,  all  having  undisturbed  possession  of  the  mid- 
dle of  the  street.  It  is  very  funny  to  see  these  small 
children  with  babies  on  their  backs,  quite  forgetting 
their  burden,  running  and  racing  with  their  compan- 
ions, rolling  over  on  the  ground,  yet  by  natural  in- 
stinct protecting  the  young  ones  from  harm.  One 
sees  a small  child  running  for  dear  life,  while  the 
little  baby  tied  on  his  back  dozes,  his  head  nodding 
in  time  with  the  quickest  step  of  his  nurse.  Count- 
less numbers  of  carriers  (coolies),  carrying  straw 
baskets  with  every  conceivable  article  for  sale,  or 
portable  kitchens  with  sweets  made  of  rice;  fisher- 
men with  live  fish  in  buckets  of  water;  the  blind 
amma  or  masseur,  making  plaintive  music  on  his 
reed ; the  bathman  inviting  the  public  to  come  into 


104  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

his  bath,  where  all  bathe  together  regardless  of  age 
or  sex — all  is  striking  by  its  newness  and  original- 
ity, and  yet  in  all  this  motley  crowd  there  is  no  jos- 
tling and  no  noise.  Every  face  is  pleasant  and 
happy,  all  are  laughing  and  smiling,  as  if  they  are 
delighted  to  see  each  other ; and  when  acquaintances 
meet,  polite  bows  are  exchanged  by  bending  the  body 
nearly  double,  the  hand  resting  on  the  knees  and 
remaining  in  this  position  and  watching  out  of  the 
corner  of  the  eye  for  the  one  of  superior  rank  to 
make  the  first  move  to  lift  his  head.  Even  soldiers, 
forgetting  their  military  salute,  sometimes  do  the 
same,  meeting  their  friends.  Like  the  Russian 
yamtshik,  who  whip  up  their  horses  to  rush  through 
a village,  so  the  kurumaya  rushes  through  the  nar- 
row streets,  and  the  shops  filled  with  all  sorts  of 
wares  gleam  before  you  in  rapid  succession — kitch- 
ens with  displays  of  salt,  smoked,  and  fresh  fish,  rice 
and  potatoes,  soy  and  horseradish  (daikon)  in  thin 
slices,  a favorite  Japanese  dish.  The  buyer  eats  his 
meals  there  on  the  street  with  chopsticks,  and  minute 
cups  of  green  tea  are  served  gratis  to  every  visitor. 

We  finally  stopped  before  a curio  shop,  and  great 
was  the  display  of  articles  made  of  ivory  and  tor- 
toise shell,  bronze  idols,  china,  lacquerware,  arms, 
etc.  In  the  first  room  facing  the  street  the  poorest 
wares  are  shown,  the  better  class  being  displayed  in 
a back  room;  but  in  order  to  see  these  things  one 
must  remove  one’s  shoes  not  to  soil  the  handsome 
matting.  Here  we  go,  Japanese  fashion  in  stocking- 
feet,  and  purely  out  of  curiosity  enter  the  next  room, 
where  we  are  struck  by  the  immaculate  cleanliness 
and  complete  lack  of  furniture.  Where  do  the  Jap- 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  105 

anese  sit?  They  sit  on  the  floor,  eat  on  the  floor, 
and  sleep  on  the  floor,  on  thick  quilts,  which  are 
hidden  in  the  daytime  in  closets  in  the  walls.  Many 
Europeans  think  that  Japanese  live  in  paper  houses. 
This  is  not  so ; but  certainly  their  houses  are  original 
in  construction  and  not  at  all  like  ours.  First  they 
plant  four  posts  on  which  they  place  the  heavy,  mas- 
sive roof;  this  finished,  they  construct  two  solid 
walls  of  stone  and  mortar  or  wood  reaching  to  the 
roof.  The  foundation  is  generally  missing  in  Japan- 
ese houses  and  the  floor  is  laid  at  a considerable 
height  from  the  ground.  On  the  other  two  sides 
there  are  no  walls,  and  the  Japanese  content  them- 
selves with  the  sliding  paper  walls  which  move  back 
and  forth  in  grooves.  The  skeleton  of  the  house 
finished,  if  the  Japanese  wishes  it  to  consist  of  one 
great  room  or  turn  it  into  a mass  of  small  rooms, 
it  is  an  easy  matter  by  means  of  paper  sliding 
screens,  but  every  sound  can  be  heard  from  every 
corner  of  the  house.  At  night  or  in  bad  weather 
there  are  wooden  sliding  screens  placed  on 
the  sides,  opening  on  the  street  and  garden. 
Every  morning  they  are  removed  with  great  noise, 
and  the  whole  house  is  thrown  open  to  the  winds. 
I have  already  mentioned  that  one  is  struck  by  the 
simplicity  and  absence  of  furniture — all  utensils  of 
the  household  are  carefully  hidden  in  a small  wall 
closet  and  articles  of  value  are  kept  by  rich  people 
in  the  same  manner  in  a fire-proof  building. 

The  Japanese  do  not  ornament  their  rooms  with 
an  exposition  of  rare  things,  and  in  a drawing-room 
you  will  see  one  picture  and  one  vase,  that  is  all. 
Our  kurumaya  proposed  to  take  us  to  the  waterfall 


106  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

lof  Arima,  about  four  hours  from  Kobe.  Parts  of 
the  road  are  heavy  and  uncomfortable,  but  it  is  char- 
acterized by  beautiful  landscapes  and  one  gathers 
some  idea  of  life  in  the  country.  The  houses  are 
built  of  wood  or  clay  covered  with  roofs  of  reeds 
or  straw  trimmed  evenly  with  a tuft  of  grass  or 
flowers  growing  at  the  top.  The  traveler  notices  the 
absence  of  chimneys.  The  farther  one  gets  from 
towns  the  more  often  one  meets  people  with  a lim- 
ited costume,  consisting  sometimes  only  of  fundoshi 
(piece  of  cloth  wound  about  the  loins)  ; and  even 
the  kurumaya,  free  from  the  vigilant  eye  of  the  po- 
lice, divests  himself  of  as  much  clothing  as  possible 
and  is  happy  to  run  in  the  scantiest  deshabille.  It 
is  interesting  how  in  a second  at  sight  of  the  police 
they  throw  the  kirimono  over  themselves.  The 
strictness  on  the  part  of  the  police  is  the  result  of 
prudish  English  influence.  The  Japanese  see  noth- 
ing immodest  in  their  costumes,  and  one  frequently 
sees  Japanese  women  in  a sitz-bath  washing  and 
splashing  in  public.  It  is  unnecessary  to  describe  the 
Japanese  costume — every  one  is  familiar  with  the 
kimono  or  kirimono  (cut  thing).  In  the  large 
sleeves  of  the  kimono  there  is  always  paper,  which 
serves  as  a handkerchief  or  towel ; booklets  and  many 
other  articles.  The  women’s  kimonos  differ  from 
the  men’s  only  in  that  they  are  longer.  Those  of 
the  working  men  or  artisans  are  very  short.  Many 
of  these  garments  have  the  family  crest  on  the  arms 
or  back.  In  olden  times  it  was  the  coat-of-arms  of 
their  masters.  A broad  silk  belt  (obi)  holds  the 
kimono  together  and  the  women  wear  enormous  but- 
terfly bows  at  the  back.  Formerly  the  Japanese 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  107 

wore  no  shirts,  excepting  the  Mikado,  who  wore  a 
new  one  every  day  under  the  kimono,  very  long  and 
made  of  silk,  and  gave  it  away  to  his  courtiers. 

In  the  cold  weather  the  Japanese  wear  one  wadded 
kimono  over  the  other,  which  naturally  seems  to 
increase  their  size.  The  higher  classes  wear  over 
the  kimono  a shorter  one,  called  “haori,”  which  cor- 
responds to  our  frock  coat.  The  peasants  wear  very 
tight  trousers,  while  officers  and  nobles  wear  the 
hakama,  wide  Turkish  trousers.  The  lower  classes 
put  on  the  hakama  on  solemn,  ceremonious  occa- 
sions. The  day  the  son  of  the  house  puts  the  hakama 
on  for  the  first  time,  at  the  age  of  five  years,  is  con- 
sidered a great  festival.  In  former  times,  when  the 
Japanese  dress  was  worn  at  court,  the  hakama  of 
the  courtiers  was  so  long  that  it  covered  the  feet, 
dragging  on  the  floor.  One  can  see  them  in  the 
theatres  at  the  present  time. 

On  the  top  of  the  haori  is  worn  a garment  with- 
out sleeves,  which  corresponds  to  our  evening  dress. 
I have  not  yet  spoken  of  the  ingenious  head  dress 
of  the  Japanese  women.  Thanks  to  a special  mastic, 
their  tar-black  hair  is  arranged  in  a high  and  sump- 
tuous coiffure,  decorated  with  pins  and  flowers.  The 
feet  are  not  compressed  like  those  of  the  Chinese 
women  of  the  higher  classes.  They  wear  simple 
stockings,  differing  from  ours  in  that  there  is  a 
division  for  the  big  toe.  In  the  house  they  wear 
very  light  sandals,  or  more  generally  walk  in  stock- 
ing-feet, and  for  the  streets  they  have  getas  which 
resemble  miniature  benches.  The  necessity  for  these 
little  street  stilts  is  easily  seen  when  one  visits  the 
muddy  side  streets  of  every  Japanese  town.  Full 


108  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

anarchy  reigns  at  the  present  time  with  regard  to 
the  costume  and  the  mixture  is  something  incredi- 
ble. You  will  see  a European  hat  or  a sun-helmet 
with  a Japanese  kirimono,  or  coat  and  trousers  with 
straw  sandals  or  getas  on  the  feet.  Sometimes  ap- 
pears an  old-fashioned  weather-stained  top  hat,  left 
over  from  some  funeral  procession. 

The  women,  with  the  exception  of  some  of  the 
higher  society,  remain  faithful  to  the  national  cos- 
tume and  to  national  customs.  In  the  villages  the 
women  unconcernedly  feed  their  children  at  the 
breast  or  work  with  the  breasts  exposed,  having 
their  babies  tied  to  their  backs.  In  this  respect  the 
Japanese  differ  from  the  Javanese,  who  carry  their 
children  on  their  hips.  Many  think  that  this  man- 
ner of  carrying  the  child  on  the  back  is  harmful 
both  to  the  carrier  and  the  child,  who  becomes  bow- 
legged.  The  bow-leggedness  of  the  Japanese  is  be- 
yond question,  but  whether  it  is  the  result  of  their 
custom  of  squatting  or  of  the  child  being  carried 
on  the  back  is  still  an  undecided  question. 

The  villages,  in  spite  of  their  poverty,  present  a 
pretty  and  pleasant  appearance,  thanks  to  the  mass 
of  flowers  and  foliage  with  which  the  Japanese  sur- 
round their  dwellings.  The  middle  of  the  streets 
are  taken  possession  of  by  the  children  playing  games 
and  flying  kites.  The  kurumayas  all  turn  aside  for 
them,  but  it  is  not  so  easy  for  those  on  horseback  or 
in  the  carriage,  especially  as  these  small  imps  try 
their  best  to  get  under  the  feet  of  the  horse  or  the 
carriage. 

Generally  speaking,  the  whole  life  of  the  Japan- 
ese is  passed  on  the  street — they  work,  wash,  and 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  10^ 

dress  in  full  view  of  every  one;  and  even  the  privy- 
boxes,  emitting  a horrible  odor,  are  not  hidden  at  the 
back,  but  are  placed  straight  on  the  street  and  the 
contents  generally  sold  for  fertilizing  purposes. 

Judging  from  a European  standpoint  everything 
is  topsy-turvy  in  Japan.  Beginning  with  the  dwell- 
ings, the  best  rooms  never  face  the  street,  but  are 
hidden  on  a back  court,  where  one  finds  miniature 
gardens  with  flowers  and  fountains ; their  books  be- 
gin at  the  last  page,  sweets  are  served  before  the  din- 
ner, the  wine  also,  and  many  other  such  things,  of 
which  we  will  speak  later. 

Arima  is  known  for  its  bamboo-work  and  many- 
colored  straw-work.  These  mosaics  of  rice  straw  are 
very  pretty.  Strangers  load  themslves  with  these  tiny 
boxes  and  cigar-cases.  Besides  this,  Arima  is  noted 
for  its  hot  springs  (iron  40%).  One  must  say  that 
the  Japanese  are  great  lovers  of  hot  baths  and  their 
endurance  is  something  amazing.  They  think  noth- 
ing of  a temperature  of  112°  Fah.  and  do  not  wince 
at  what  would  make  a European  spring  out  scalded. 
I have  often  seen  a Japanese  after  a hot  bath  run 
out  in  the  street  quite  naked  and  as  red  as  a lobster, 
not  fearing  to  take  cold.  Baths  in  Japan  play  the 
same  role  as  they  did  in  the  time  of  the  Romans. 
They  spend  hours  in  the  public  baths,  where  chil- 
dren, women,  old  and  young  men,  splash  together, 
all  singing,  talking  and  shouting  together.  The 
Tokyo  police,  under  the  influence  of  the  Europeans, 
forbid  the  bathing  of  men  and  women  together,  but 
this  does  not  affect  the  provinces.  This  bathing  to- 
gether has  one  disadvantage,  that  it  spreads  skin 
diseases.  There  are  private  tanks  for  Europeans, 
where  the  water  is  changed,  but  the  majority  of  Jap- 


110  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

anese  prefer  to  bathe  in  company,  which  is  both 
cheaper  and  gayer.  In  fact  it  is  a sort  of  a club. 
Before  I close  I must  say  a word  of  the  manner 
in  which  the  Japanese  profit  by  these  medicinal 
springs  without  the  advice  of  any  doctor,  on  the 
ground  that  if  it  is  medicinal  water  it  can  do  no 
harm,  and  the  more  you  take  of  it  the  better.  Rea- 
soning thus,  when  they  have  a chance  they  sit  in 
these  hot  baths  a whole  day,  and  apparently  it  agrees 
with  them. 

There  are  many  temples  in  Hiogo,  but  after  the 
grand  stone  buildings  in  India  the  temples  of  Hiogo 
seem  pitiably  poor.  According  to  tradition  the  tem- 
ple of  Ikuto-no-miya  was  built  by  the  Empress  Jingo 
after  her  return  from  the  expedition  to  Korea  (about 
the  year  200  A.  D.). 

Like  all  the  temples  of  the  national  cult  (Shinto), 
the  temple  distinguishes  itself  by  its  simplicity,  and 
only  the  choice  of  its  place  attests  the  artistic  nature 
of  the  Japanese  and  their  passionate  love  of  nature. 
They  always  choose  for  their  temples  a supremely 
beautiful  spot,  in  the  midst  of  luxurious  vegetation, 
commanding  an  extensive  view. 

In  Hiogo  one  must  also  see  the  monument  erected 
to  Kiyomori.  We  know  his  history  and  how  he 
was  defeated  by  the  great  Yoritomo  of  the  house  of 
Minamoto.  The  artificial  creation  of  the  Island 
Tsukisima  is  also  attributed  to  him.  Tradition  says 
that  the  waves  twice  destroyed  it,  and  upon  advice 
being  asked  of  a wise  man  he  recommended  the  sac- 
rifice of  thirty  human  beings  to  be  made  to  the 
dragon  living  in  the  bottom  of  the  sea.  Kiyomori 
ordered  the  high  road  to  be  watched  and  thirty  pass- 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  ill 

ers-by  to  be  seized;  but  the  people  rose  against  this 
and  the  inhabitants  of  Hiogo  were  spared  this  mis- 
fortune. Nevertheless,  thirty  men  were  secured,  and 
when  they  were  about  to  be  thrown  in  the  sea  the 
crowd  loudly  expressed  its  disapproval  Then  out  of 
the  crowd  stepped  a youth,  Matsuwo  Kotei,  begging 
Kiyomori  to  free  those  condemned  to  die,  offering 
himself  as  a redeeming  victim  to  the  dragon.  His 
proposition  was  accepted  and  Matsuwo  was  placed 
in  a stone  coffin  and  thrown  into  the  sea  and  the 
island  was  created  without  further  difficulty. 

Osaka,  on  the  bay  of  the  same  name,  is  about  20 
miles  from  Kobe,  or  an  hour  by  rail.  It  is  called, 
nobody  knows  why,  the  Japanese  Venice.  In  com- 
mon with  Venice  it  has  a great  number  of  canals 
and  bridges,  amounting  to  3.500,  but  here  the  like- 
ness ends.  Instead  of  the  luxurious  palaces  and 
monumental  buildings  of  Venice  there  are,  as  in  all 
Japanese  towns,  wooden  shanties  and  barns,  and  the 
traffic  in  the  streets  is  so  great  that  blockades  are 
frequent. 

The  Hotel  Jiutei,  in  which  I stopped,  is  arranged, 
so  to  speak,  after  the  European  fashion,  but  it  is  a 
sad  parody  on  Europeanism.  Instead  of  rooms  there 
are  pitiable  little  cells  with  bad  beds,  and  in  the  win- 
ter it  is  cold  enough  to  freeze  wolves.  The  light 
shines  through  the  walls  and  the  draft  is  every- 
where. The  food  is  awful  and  the  price  is  compara- 
tively high  (two  or  three  dollars  a day).  It  is  in- 
teresting that  in  the  same  hotel  there  is  a Japanese 
part,  where  it  is  very  comfortable,  according  to  Jap- 
anese taste.  They  give  you  thick  wadded,  silk  quilts 
for  sleeping,  while  in  the  European  part  the  mat- 


112  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

tresses  and  covers  are  beneath  criticism.  The  Japan- 
ese half  is  scrupulously  clean,  while  on  the  floor  there 
are  beautiful  mattings  and  even  carpets.  It  is  also 
bitter  cold  in  the  Japanese  half,  as  there  are  no 
stoves. 

Instead  of  stoves,  the  Japanese  use  a hibachi  or 
wooden  box,  in  which  is  placed  a smaller  box  of 
china,  earthenware,  or  bronze  filled  with  red-hot 
coals  and  covered  with  ashes.  In  winter  the  family 
assembles  around  this  brazier  to  warm  themselves. 
When  I was  in  Japan  in  the  winter  it  was  so  cold 
that  the  water  froze  in  the  room  and  the  only  help 
against  this  was  to  order  several  hibachi.  In  our 
European  houses  one  would  be  asphyxiated  by  only 
one  hibachi,  but  thanks  to  the  plentiful  ventilation 
they  are  without  danger  in  a Japanese  house. 

After  Tokyo,  Osaka  is  the  most  important  town 
of  Japan  and  is  renowned  from  olden  times  for  its 
theatres  and  sights  of  all  kinds.  It  is  par  excellence 
the  town  of  gaiety  and  pleasure  and  commercial 
transactions.  The  street  Sinsei  bashi,  on  which  are 
situated  theatres  and  places  of  amusement,  is  filled 
with  life  and  noise,  never  ceasing  till  the  late  hours 
of  the  night.  In  the  trade  quarter  is  a most  varied 
exposition  of  wares,  objects  of  wood  and  leather 
from  Osaka,  carpets  from  Sakai,  antiquities  from 
Nara,  porcelain,  bronze  from  Kyoto,  and  from  the 
same  town  beautiful  embroideries,  silk  stuffs,  bro- 
cade, cloisonne  and  objects  of  ivory.  A walk  on 
Sinsei  bashi  and  Sakai-sudzi  is  most  interesting  in 
the  evening,  when  these  streets  are  brilliant  with 
many  lanterns  and  electric  lamps,  while  complete 
darkness  reigns  in  the  rest  of  the  town,  and  one  dare 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  113 

not  take  a step  without  a lantern.  A great  crowd 
gathers  before  the  theatres  and  booths,  hung  with 
great  signs,  promising  all  sorts  of  things;  or  in  the 
shops,  where  various  wares  are  exposed;  or  hastens 
to  the  elegant  restaurants,  built  on  piles  and  rising 
above  the  water  like  many-storied,  airy  pavilions. 

One  of  the  principal  sights  is  the  fortified 
castle  (O  Siro)  built  by  Hideyoshi  in  1583. 
In  the  year  1868,  during  the  civil  war,  all 
the  buildings  of  the  castle  were  burned  by 
the  retiring  armies  of  the  Shogun,  and  the  castle 
capitulated  to  the  army  of  the  Mikado  without  re- 
sistance. Among  the  fortified  places  in  Japan  the 
castle  of  Osaka  takes  the  first  place  on  account  of  its 
size  and  massive  construction.  It  is  cyclopean  in 
every  sense  of  the  word ; many  of  the  stones  having 
a length  of  21  feet  and  10  feet  high,  the  marvel  is 
how  such  masses  were  lifted  to  such  heights. 
Kaempfer  says  that  these  monoliths  were  brought 
by  the  order  of  Hideyoshi  from  the  island  of  Init- 
sima  on  six  barges  tied  together.  Undertaking  the 
expedition  to  Korea,  in  order  to  weaken  the  mighty 
feudal  lords  lie  zealously  fortified  his  stronghold, 
which  should  strengthen  his  dynasty  in  Japan ; but 
the  strong  walls,  running  around  the  castle  in  two 
circles,  were  not  sufficient,  and  his  successor,  Hide- 
yori,  as  we  know  was  defeated  by  Iyeyasu. 

The  highest  tower,  with  the  stone  foundation,  the 
wooden  part  of  which  was  burned,  commands  a 
beautiful  view  of  the  town,  which,  thanks  to  its 
white  walls,  can  be  called  the  white  city.  Afar 
stretches  out  the  valley,  cut  by  numerous  canals,  and 
surrounded  by  mountains.  The  castle  is  now  occu- 


114  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

pied  by  troops,  which  were  drilling  like  Europeans 
when  I visited  it.  In  Osaka  the  temple  of  Kodzu-no- 
miya  is  noted  for  its  great  age,  supposed  to  have 
been  built  by  Nintoku  Tenno.  The  tradition  tells 
us  that  the  Mikado  Nintoku,  when  climbing  a hill, 
noticed  that  at  the  hour  when  all  the  population  was 
taking  its  meals  no  smoke  issued  from  the  houses. 
Counting  this  as  a clear  sign  of  the  poverty  of  the 
people,  Nintoku  freed  them  from  taxes  for  three 
years,  and  his  own  palace,  owing  to  lack  of  means, 
began  falling  in  ruins.  When  his  people  had  recov- 
ered, he  began  to  restore  it  with  energy.  Nintoku 
was  wont  to  say  that  the  wealth  of  the  monarch  con- 
sisted in  the  prosperity  of  his  subjects.  The  Budd- 
hist temple  of  Tennoji,  situated  to  the  southwest  of 
the  city,  was  built  by  the  celebrated  Mma-yado  or 
Setoku  Taishi,  of  whom  the  legend  says  that  his 
mother  saw  in  a dream  Kwannon  Sama,  a deity  of 
the  Buddhist  pantheon,  who  promised  to  incarnate 
herself  in  her  and  save  the  world.  She  became  en- 
ceinte and  in  a stable  gave  birth  to  a son,  who  was 
called  Mma-yado-no-odzi  or  prince  of  the  stables. 
This  infant,  as  would  be  expected,  was  a phenom- 
enon. He  talked  at  four  months  of  age,  and  when 
he  was  thirteen  months  old,  turning  toward  the  east, 
he  exclaimed  “Namu  Butsu!”  or  blessed  Buddha. 
Having  obtained  a certain  prominence  he  was  ap- 
pointed heir  apparent  and  co-regent  of  the  Empress 
Suiko.  To  him  is  attributed  the  first  calendar  in 
Japan,  a code  of  law,  and  thanks  to  him  Buddhism 
spread  in  the  country.  When  he  died  he  was  given 
the  title  Setoku  or  divine  blessing. 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  115 

Opposite  to  the  chapel  dedicated  to  Mma-yado  is 
a bell,  Indo-no-kane,  which  the  visitor  rings,  beg- 
ging Mma-yado  to  introduce  the  dead  into  paradise. 
All  sorts  of  toys,  dolls,  and  children’s  clothes  are 
dedicated  to  Setoku.  In  the  court  there  are  children 
with  cages,  proposing  to  the  visitor  to  free  the  little 
birds.  A little  farther  on  is  the  five-storied  pagoda 
built  in  the  seventeenth  century  and  decorated  with 
elephant  heads.  In  this  pagoda  are  the  portraits  of 
Buddha  and  seven  teachers  of  Buddhism,  and  from 
the  heights  of  the  tower  there  is  a view  of  the  town 
and  surrounding  country. 

Returning  to  my  hotel  I found  a young  man,  who 
presented  himself  as  one  of  the  staff  of  the  paper 
Mainichi  Shimbun,  interviewing  me  as  to  my  polit- 
cal  views.  For  my  part  I questioned  him  on  his 
paper  and  learned  that  the  Daily  Gazette  is  a liberal 
organ,  having  10,000  subscribers.  The  expenses  are 
insignificant  (1000  yen  a month)  ; 50  yen  (corres- 
ponding to  $25  American)  is  received  by  the  chief 
editor.  On  the  following  day  there  appeared  in  the 
paper  a long  political  conversation,  which  I had 
never  dreamed  of,  and  which  was  pure  invention  on 
his  part.  I had  neither  time  nor  desire  to  contra- 
dict him  and  continued  my  journey  to  Nara. 

Nara  was  the  capital  of  Japan  under  seven  emper- 
ors (704-784  A.  D.)  and  was  renowned  for  the 
magnificence  and  richness  of  its  buildings.  As  wit- 
nesses of  the  former  grandeur  of  this  dethroned  cap- 
ital are  the  numerous  temples,  which  attract  a great 
number  of  worshippers.  I will  not  describe  the  five- 
storied pagoda,  the  temple  of  Kasga,  Nigwatsu,  and 
others,  for  the  charm  of  Nara  is  not  in  its  old  tern- 


116 


The  Land  ,o£  the  Rising  Sun 


pies,  but  in  the  surrounding  nature.  The  silence  and 
solitude  of  its  wonderful  forest,  with  its  giant  trees, 
under  the  shadows  of  which  have  found  refuge  the 
dwellings  of  the  faithful  and  sorrowful  souls,  pro- 
duce a melancholy  and  solemn  impression.  Deer 
wandering  in  the  forest  are  so  tame  that  they  come 
running  to  be  fed  by  the  visitor. 

The  most  wonderful  thing  of  Nara  is  a colossal 
statue  of  Buddha  (53  feet  high).  Buddha  is  repre- 
sented sitting  on  his  feet  on  the  sacred  lotus,  with  a 
double  row  of  leaves.  His  right  hand  is  raised, 
while  the  left  rests  on  his  knee.  Formerly  the  statue 
was  gilded  and  one  sees  even  now  the  gilding.  In 
the  year  1080  the  temple  containing  the  statue  was 
burned  and  the  head  was  melted.  The  same  fate 
befell  it  in  1567,  so  that  a new  head  was  made,  the 
workmanship  of  which  is  not  as  fine  as  the  rest  of  the 
statue.  Now  they  have  constructed  a building  above 
the  statue,  which  in  my  opinion  is  much  too  low  in 
comparison  with  the  colossal  dimensions  of  the  fig- 
ure. On  the  return  way  I was  shown  a crematory. 
The  ovens  are  enormous  and  hermetically  closed.  Be- 
fore the  building,  where  the  bodies  are  burned,  is  a 
clean  court  and  a gallery,  decorated  with  artificial 
flowers  surrounding  it. 


Chapter  XII 


Old  capital  of  Japan — Industrial  exhibition — Jubilee — Miako 
odori — The  tvvo-thousand-year-old  tree  of  Karasaki — 
Arashi  Yama. 

From  Osaka  to  Kyoto  is  only  an  hour’s  trip  by 
rail,  and  as  one  approaches  Kyoto  the  country  be- 
comes more  picturesque,  until  Kyoto,  giving  in  no 
way  the  impression  of  a large  city,  appears.  The 
streets  are  lined  with  low  barns  and  shanties,  remind- 
ing one  of  a newly  laid  out  settlement  in  the  West  of 
the  United  States,  and  it  seems  that  it  is  not  a town, 
but  a big  village.  It  has  a sleepy  appearance.  .There 
is  no  movement  in  the  streets,  and  everywhere  reigns 
deathly  stillness,  excepting  near  the  theatres,  where 
the  crowd  gathers  and  the  scene  is  enlivened.  The 
regularity  of  the  streets  accentuates  this  tediousness. 
But  the  charm  of  the  place  lies  in  the  suburbs  of  this 
old  western  capital.  Among  the  hills  surrounding 
the  town  in  a semi-circle  are  situated  monasteries, 
temples,  secular  old  groves,  suburban  palaces  in  gar- 
dens, villas,  restaurants,  and  elegant  tea-houses. 
Owing  to  an  abundance  of  water,  which  gushes  forth 
in  pretty  cascades  or  murmurs  in  ravines,  all  is  fresh- 
ness and  succulent  green.  In  the  midst  of  these  poet- 
ical surroundings  is  situated  the  Hotel  Yami,  ar- 
ranged in  European  style;  and,  if  there  are  discom- 
forts, they  are  forgotten  in  the  rapturous  admiration 
of  the  surrounding  landscape. 


118  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

In  spite  of  its  palaces,  temples,  and  artistic  treas- 
ures, Kyoto  has  the  appearance  of  a poverty-stricken 
city;  but  it  is  easy  to  comprehend,  if  we  remember 
that  the  real  power  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Shogun, 
and  that  it  was  not  to  his  interest  to  furnish  abundant 
means  to  the  Emperor,  or  Mikado.  The  poverty  of 
the  kuge,  the  relatives  of  the  Emperor,  was  prover- 
bial, and  they  had  often  to  earn  their  living,  and  the 
Court  lived  sometimes  on  half  rations.  This  pov- 
erty is  quite  apparent  on  seeing  the  “Gose,”  the  con- 
stant residence  of  the  Emperor.  It  is  surrounded  by 
low  stone  walls,  in  which  there  are  seven  gates. 
Crossing  a large  court  one  sees  a low,  one-storied 
building,  in  which  are  the  servants’  quarters;  an- 
other large  court  with  the  dwellings  of  the  kuge,  and 
farther  on  the  quarters  of  the  Court  officials,  and  in 
the  center,  in  an  enclosure  surrounded  by  a garden, 
the  palace  of  the  Mikado. 

The  interior  arrangements  are  most  simple.  The 
walls  are  of  wood,  neither  painted  nor  lacquered, 
with  wooden  columns  with  no  vestige  of  decoration ; 
but,  with  all  this  simplicity,  the  material  was  obliged 
to  be  of  the  highest  class,  perfect,  without  mar  or 
flaw.  The  only  visible  luxury  were  the  beautiful 
mattings  and  the  sliding  walls,  which  are  covered 
with  drawings  by  the  best  masters,  and  in  this  re- 
spect the  palace  contains  invaluable  treasures.  I saw 
the  throne-room,  with  portraits  of  the  Chinese  sages, 
and  the  audience-chamber,  in  which  the  daimios 
were  received  by  the  Mikado.  This  chamber  had 
three  elevations,  where  the  daimios  and  high  offi- 
cials were  ranged  according  to  rank.  Higher  than 
the  third  grade,  or  step,  there  was  a platform  with 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


119 


a lowered  silk  curtain,  behind  which  was  the  throne, 
where  sat  the  Mikado.  When  he  had  taken  his 
place  the  curtain  was  pulled  up  as  far  as  his  knees ; 
thus  no  one  could  look  upon  his  face.  Such  an  ar- 
rangement was  very  convenient  in  view  of  the  many 
palace  revolutions,  as  it  was  an  easy  matter  to 
change  the  Emperor,  no  one  being  the  wiser. 

The  gardens  surrounding  the  palace  are  charm- 
ingly beautiful,  containing  a small  pond  with  the 
floating  lotus,  with  the  favorite  Japanese  porous 
stones  covered  with  moss,  islands,  bridges,  pavilions, 
all  in  the  midst  of  beautiful  trees,  in  the  shadow  of 
which  the  descendants  of  the  gods  dreamed  so  well 
that  they  even  forgot  their  power  over  the  rest  of 
the  mortals.  The  Shogun’s  palace,  in  comparison 
with  that  of  the  Mikado,  is  strikingly  luxurious  and 
magnificent,  surrounded  by  massive  walls,  moats, 
and  having  the  air  of  a citadel.  Only  behind  these 
stone  walls  the  Shogun  felt  himself  safe.  At  Nijo- 
no-Siro,  as  the  palace  of  the  Shogun  is  called,  hap- 
pened the  significant  event  in  Japanese  history  when, 
on  the  6th  of  April,  1868,  the  present  Mikado,  after 
defeating  the  army  of  the  Shogun,  in  the  presence 
of  the  Council  of  State  gave  the  solemn  oath  that  he 
would  convene  a deliberative  assembly  and  govern 
the  country  with  regard  for  public  opinion.  After 
this  Nijo-no-Siro  was  used  for  public  offices,  and 
the  beautiful  paintings  were  torn  from  the  walls,  and 
many  were  destroyed.  The  restoration  of  Nijo-no- 
Siro  was  completed  in  1885,  and  at  present  the  orna- 
mentation of  the  palace  is  in  every  sense  luxurious. 

The  word  “luxury”  you  must  understand  in  the 
Japanese  sense;  that  is,  the  rooms  are  bare,  devoid 


120  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

of  furniture,  as  in  the  simplest  Japanese  house,  but 
the  wall  decorations  are  really  magnificent.  The 
carved  lattice-work,  which  covers  everything  from 
the  outer  gates  to  the  inner  apartments,  is  of  ex- 
quisite beauty;  the  sliding  walls  are  covered  with 
gold  paper  and  decorated  with  manifold  drawings, 
and  especially  beautiful  are  the  water-color  sketches 
on  wood.  The  luxury  of  the  Shoguns  is  also  ap- 
parent in  the  abundant  decorations  of  bronze,  clois- 
onne and  priceless  gold  lacquer  on  the  ceilings, 
which  even  now  awakens  admiration  by  its  artistic 
finish  and  beauty.  Everywhere  is  the  crest  of  the 
Tokugawa,  the  famous  clover  leaf,  which  has  been 
superseded  now  by  the  chrysanthemum,  the  emblem 
of  the  Emperor. 

Of  the  temples  in  Kyoto,  the  monastery  of  Chion 
In  makes  a deep  impression  by  its  colossal  dimen- 
sions, and  by  its  beautiful  surroundings,  which  so 
perfectly  harmonize  with  it.  Secular  groves,  broad 
terraces,  disposed  like  gigantic  staircases,  give  only 
the  foretaste  of  its  grandeur.  The  great  entrance- 
hall  has  bare  white  walls  and  a sanctuary  all  re- 
splendent with  gold.  One  can  have  an  idea  of  its 
extraordinary  dimensions  by  the  fact  that  a Buddhist 
monk  standing  at  the  opposite  end  of  the  building 
has  almost  the  appearance  of  a dwarf. 

The  Japanese  estimate  its  size  by  5800  mattings, 
it  being  80  feet  long,  3 7 feet  broad,  and  80  feet 
high,  and  containing,  according  to  the  Japanese, 
many  rare  and  priceless  pictures.  Among  them  are 
the  Geese  of  Kano  Motonobu  (1475-1559),  and  the 
Cat,  whose  eyes  follow  one  to  every  part  of  the  tem- 
ple. We  were  also  conducted  across  a creaking  floor, 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  121 

which  is  supposed  to  remind  one  of  the  song  of  the 
nightingale. 

Kyoto  has  also  its  great  statue  of  Buddha,  but 
as  it  is  made  of  wood  it  does  not  produce  the  same 
impression  as  the  Buddha  in  Kamakura. 

From  here  we  visited  the  celebrated  temple  of 
33,333  statues.  Although  there  are  but  1,027  gilded 
statues,  the  priests  assure  the  acuracy  of  the  number 
of  heads,  as  many  of  the  statues  have  a row  of  heads 
forming  a diadem  on  the  head.  These  figures  are 
interesting  as  examples  of  the  Japanese  sculpture, 
which  is  remarkable  for  its  strength  and  delicate 
carving,  but  to  which  one  cannot  apply  the  rules  of 
antique  art. 

Remarkable  and  interesting  among  the  other  tem- 
ples is  Nishi  Hongwanji,  belonging  to  the  sect  of 
Shinsiu,  or  Monto,  which  reject  asceticism,  celibacy, 
fasts,  and  other  strict  rules  of  Buddhism.  The  sect 
has  a bishop  under  whose  dependence  are  10,000 
temples,  and  under  his  direct  rule,  besides  his  assist- 
ants, there  are  a hundred  priests  who  live  in  the 
Hongwanji.  The  ornamentation  of  this  temple  is 
rich  and  magnificent,  but  in  the  same  style  as  the  pal- 
ace of  the  Shogun,  which  is  easily  explained  by  the 
fact  of  its  having  been  given  by  the  Shogun  to  the 
high  priest,  and  removed  from  Fushimi  to  its  pres- 
ent place.  Among  the  works  of  art  the  sculptures 
of  Hidari  Jingoro  stand  out. 

Examining  these  treasures,  we  suddenly  found 
ourselves  in  a beautiful  garden,  which,  although  not 
very  large,  seems  vast,  owing  to  the  clever  grouping 
of  its  trees.  Airy  balconies  of  the  summer  villa  of 
Hideyoshi  hang  over  a small  lake.  Small  bridges 


122  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

lead  across  babbling  brooks,  paths  wind  in  and  out 
to  many  cosy  corners  where  fountains  play.  This 
place  is  especially  dear  to  the  Japanese  on  account 
of  its  historical  reminiscences,  and  they  grow  en- 
thusiastic, pointing  out  Hideyoshi’s  favorite  spot, 
where  he  contemplated  the  moon  and  composed 
poetry. 

One  can  only  conceive  the  refinement  of  life  at  the 
Japanese  Court  and  of  the  Japanese  aristocracy  after 
visiting  Kyoto.  Here  were  constructed  great  tem- 
ples, palaces,  monasteries ; here,  renouncing  worldly 
power,  the  Emperors  chose  beautiful  spots,  where, 
far  from  the  noise  and  bustle  of  the  world,  they 
could  dedicate  themselves  to  study  and  thought. 
Idle  was  the  life  led  at  the  Court  of  the  Mikado, 
the  courtiers  passing  their  time  in  word  tourna- 
ments, composing  verses  on  different  themes,  guess- 
ing charades,  having  drawing  contests,  and  whet- 
ting their  tastes  in  different  ways,  living  far  from 
the  strife  and  cares  of  life.  Owing  to  this,  Kyoto 
became  the  center  of  art  and  industry,  and  the  Kyoto 
masters  were  celebrated  for  their  delicate  elegance 
and  taste.  Even  in  the  present  time,  when  the 
Court  has  been  moved  to  Tokyo,  Kyoto  is  still  fa- 
mous for  its  bronzes,  cloisonne,  silk  materials,  em- 
broideries, brocades,  velvets,  crapes,  satins,  carv- 
ings, incrustations,  china,  lacquer,  and  pictures.  In 
fact,  one  can  pass  days  in  these  stores  and  work- 
shops of  the  local  industry.  And,  watching  them 
work,  one  sees  their  love  for  it,  for,  like  real  artists, 
the  minutest  detail  is  carefully  worked  out.  You 
will  see  a screen  which  costs  a thousand  yen,  and  on 
which  the  master  has  spent  several  years  of  his  life. 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  123 

The  cloisonne  is  especially  beautiful,  and  on  some  of 
the  vases  two  or  more  years  are  spent.  I have 
watched  them  doing  this  work  at  Namikawa.  On 
a copper  foundation  they  attach  small,  fine  wire, 
and  according  to  the  drawing  to  be  used  they  fill  the 
spaces  between  with  varied-colored  glass,  after 
which  the  vase  is  fired  four  times.  After  the  fourth 
time  begins  the  smoothing  off  of  rough  places.  At 
Namikawa’s  they  choose  small  boys  for  this  task, 
whose  small  hands  are  specially  adapted  to  the  fine, 
tedious  work,  and  they  gain  from  five  to  thirty  yen  a 
month. 

One  cannot  omit  saying  a word  about  the  sur- 
roundings of  Kyoto — they  are  simply  superb.  Ara- 
shi  yama,  with  its  groves  of  scarlet  maple  and  wind- 
ing streams,  filled  with  rapid  cascades,  has  long  been 
sung  by  Japanese  poets.  This  mountain  is  wonder- 
fully beautiful  in  the  spring,  when  the  cherry  trees 
blossom  and  the  mass  of  white,  red,  and  pink  blos- 
soms stand  out  against  the  dark  green  foliage  of  the 
firs. 

Another  time  when  I visited  Kyoto,  Japan  was 
at  the  height  of  its  war  with  China,  and  in  the  an- 
cient capital  was  being  held  the  fourth  industrial  ex- 
hibition. The  first  experiment  in  this  direction  was 
made  in  Kyoto.  Before  the  fourth  exhibition  the 
residents  of  Kyoto  conceived  the  idea  of  celebrating 
the  i ioo-year  Jubilee  of  the  founding  of  the  old  cap- 
ital, and  thought  that  the  best  means  of  commem- 
orating it  would  be  the  holding  of  an  exhibition  in 
Kyoto,  which,  as  a center  of  art  and  industry,  seems 
the  most  proper  place  for  such  an  event.  In  com- 
parison with  the  exhibition  of  1890,  the  present 


124  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

shows  a step  forward  in  industrial  development,  and 
this  progress  was  especially  significant  in  time  of 
war,  when  all  the  resources  of  the  country  were 
strained  to  the  utmost. 

The  monumental  building  for  this  exhibition  was 
a rectangle  with  parallel  galleries,  and  in  the  middle 
a garden  with  a fountain.  Opposite  to  the  back 
entrance  a palace  and  a wooden  temple,  which  were 
copies  of  buildings  of  the  time  of  Kwammu  (784), 
were  constructed  in  honor  of  the  eleven  hundredth 
anniversary  of  Kyoto.  On  the  right  was  the  gallery 
of  fine  arts.  In  the  open  place  was  a stand  for  the 
orchestra,  and  a pavilion  for  the  reception  of  the 
guests.  At  one  side  of  the  main  building  were  the 
aquarium,  fisheries  department,  and  the  restaurants. 
There  were  208,713  objects  exhibited  and  80,060 
exhibitors,  principal  among  whom  were  the  people 
of  Kyoto.  Tokyo  occupied  the  second  place.  One 
defect,  however,  is  striking.  Instead  of  grouping 
the  objects  according  to  their  kind,  they  were 
grouped  by  provinces.  Every  province,  receiving 
its  allotted  space,  could  arrange  its  exhibits  accord- 
ing to  its  taste. 

If  one  desires  to  know  the  products  and  industry 
in  each  province,  then  this  is  a very  good  system, 
but  if  one  is  limited  for  time  it  means  despair.  For 
people  unfamiliar  with  the  Japanese  language  and 
Japanese  characters  the  exposition  is  a closed  book, 
for  all  the  interesting  inscriptions  (place,  name  of 
exponents,  prices)  are  only  in  Japanese  and  Chinese 
characters.  In  English  the  only  inscriptions  are 
“do  not  handle”  and  “smoking  not  allowed.”  This 
is  one  concession  made  to  Europeans.  Why  spoil 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  125 

them?  But  if  they  can  borrow  anything  good  from 
Europe,  that  is  another  matter;  and  in  this  respect 
they  have  already  profited  much.  They  make  the 
most  of  every  new  invention  in  Europe  and  Amer- 
ica, and  the  manufacture  of  cotton  goods,  matches, 
and  other  objects  have  given  great  results.  Rich  in 
coal  and  cheap  labor,  Japan  will  completely  oust 
European  and  American  products.  Manchester  was 
superseded  by  Bombay,  and  Japan  is  already  a suc- 
cessful rival  of  Bombay.  Many  exhibits  of  this  ex- 
position of  which  I speak  were  astonishingly  cheap 
in  comparison  with  the  same  thing  in  Europe.  A 
saddle,  with  all  its  accessories,  from  Kumamoto, 
cost  only  from  $3  to  $6  in  American  money,  and 
flannel  goods  from  Kyoto  and  Ehime  bring  the 
same  cheap  price  (4-9  cents  a yard). 

It  would  be  interesting  to  note  the  prices  of  some 
of  the  goods  (prices  in  yen — one  yen  has  one  hun- 
dred cents,  equal  to  50  cents  American)  : 


Obj  ects. 

Place  of 
Manufacture. 

Prices  in  Yen. 

Boots 

Ehime 

2.80-4  yen. 
1.40  each. 

Red  blankets 

Oji  Tokyo 

Striped  blankets.  . 

do 

1.15-1.40  each. 

Handkerchiefs. . . . 

do 

1.80  a dozen. 

Glasses 

Osaka 

3 a dozen. 
2.50  a dozen. 

Wine  glasses 

do 

Straw  hats 

Nagasaki 

75  c-i  yen. 

Thermometers.  . . . 

Tokyo 

50-80  c. 

Watches 

Osaka 

2.80  each. 

White  collars.... 

Tokyo 

8-10  c each. 

Shirts 

"do 

1 80  each 

Felt  hats 

Osaka 

70  c-1.30  each. 
90  c-3  yen. 

Matting 

do 

126  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

One  can  add  to  this  list  of  home  products  pianos, 
harmonicas,  musical,  optical  and  surgical  instru- 
ments, photographic  apparatus,  machines,  carpets, 
etc.  There  were  also  telephones  and  electric  appli- 
ances, fire  engines  and  pumps.  Among  the  agri- 
cultural products  rice  and  rice  brandy  occupy  the 
first  place,  and  beer  comes  next  (Kirin,  Osaka). 
There  was  an  abundant  exhibition  of  tea,  naturally ; 
also  silk.  There  was  much  less  fruit,  however,  than 
one  would  expect,  but  the  apples  and  grapes  from 
Yokohama  were  good.  Much  space  is  given  to  ma- 
terials, and  especially  uncut  velvets,  and  the  pictures 
made  on  this  material  are  real  chefs-d’oeuvre.  The 
artist  observes  the  most  delicate  shadings.  The  per- 
spective and  work  are  accomplished  with  such  care 
and  artistic  finish  that  it  seems  to  be  done  with  the 
brush,  and  not  with  the  chisel,  as  the  slightest  false 
stroke  would  ruin  the  picture.  However,  even  in 
Kyoto  there  are  many  artists  like  Asada  and  his  son. 
To  work  horizontally  or  vertically  is  not  so  difficult 
as  when  the  worker  must  cut  diagonally.  The  life 
of  these  cutters  on  velvet  is  very  short,  on  account 
of  their  inhaling  the  minute  particles  and  fine  velvet 
dust.  There  were  magnificent  specimens  of  clois- 
onne at  the  exposition,  and  specially  the  work  made 
lately  (fond  translucide)  on  a silver  foundation. 
The  specimens  of  this  new  work  are  very  small,  but 
chefs-d’oeuvre,  the  silver  giving  special  softness  to 
the  colors,  and  for  this  large  prices  are  asked.  There 
were  many  beautiful  objects  in  bronze,  lacquer,  and 
wood,  but  nothing  extraordinary.  As  for  the  porce- 
lain, artists  like  Seifu  Kozan,  Takamoto,  Higuchi, 
Hansuki  and  Masakichi  have  brought  the  painting 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  127 

and  the  technique  to  a high  state  of  perfection.  The 
embroideries  on  silk  of  Nishimura  are  of  extraordi- 
nary beauty  and  finish,  and  make  perfect  pictures. 
Here  is  a temple,  for  instance,  reflected  in  still  water, 
with  a few  ducks  swimming  about  to  enliven  the 
scene.  A favorite  Japanese  landscape,  Arashi  yama 
for  instance,  in  the  time  of  the  cherry  blossoms. 
There  stands  a screen  for  which  they  ask  16,000  yen. 

The  festivals  in  connection  with  the  Jubilee  were 
fixed  for  the  autumn,  some  months  later  than  the 
exposition,  and  a thousand  official  invitations  were 
issued.  The  first  day,  in  spite  of  a downpour  of  rain, 
nearly  a thousand  guests  assembled  at  the  entrance 
of  the  exhibition.  There  are  many  members  of  the 
diplomatic  corps,  foreigners  of  distinction,  Japanese 
ministers,  members  of  the  Upper  and  Lower  House, 
and  other  distinguished  guests.  The  company  was 
asked  to  remain  in  a pavilion  near  the  temple,  but 
when  the  Prince  Yamashima  drove  up  to  the  portico 
of  the  temple,  the  guests  were  invited  to  pass  to  one 
of  the  galleries,  where  the  Europeans  were  placed 
on  the  right  side  and  the  Japanese  on  the  left.  The 
Prince  with  the  most  distinguished  guests  came  for- 
ward to  the  center  of  the  temple  to  the  music  of  the 
national  hymn. 

Then  began  the  very  tiresome  ceremony  of  read- 
ing addresses,  after  which  we  were  witnesses  of  a 
most  interesting  ceremony.  About  thirty  Shinto 
priests,  dressed  in  extremely  rich  costumes,  slowly 
floated  before  the  Prince,  performing  the  sacred 
dance.  The  costumes  of  the  priests  were  in  every 
sense  original,  made  of  silk  marly  in  vivid  colors, 
having  long  floating  sleeves  and  long  trains,  so  that 


128  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

at  a distance  they  looked  like  enormous  butterflies. 
On  their  heads  they  wore  beautiful  helmets,  and  I 
was  told  that  these  costumes  were  worn  very  seldom, 
and  only  on  the  most  solemn  occasions.  The  musi- 
cal accompaniment  to  this  dance  was  very  peculiar. 
After  this  ceremony,  which  lasted  two  hours,  we 
were  invited  into  a dining-hall,  beautifully  decora- 
ted with  flags,  flowers,  and  many-colored  lanterns. 
Before  each  place  stood  a box  containing  a Japanese 
dinner,  composed  of  many  dishes;  but  the  Euro- 
peans were  not  forgotten,  for  meat  and  wine  were 
prepared  for  them.  Each  guest  was  supplied  with 
a large  napkin,  in  which,  according  to  Japanese  cus- 
tom, the  painted  boxes  containing  the  dishes  were 
to  be  wrapped  to  be  carried  home.  After  the  ban- 
quet followed  races  in  the  old  Japanese  style,  those 
taking  part  being  dressed  in  old  Japanese  armor  and 
helmets,  and  fully  armed.  The  grooms  with  diffi- 
culty managed  the  wild  horses,  who  were  biting  and 
kicking.  Each  race  began  with  terrible  cries  on  the 
part  of  the  rider  and  the  shrieks  of  the  crowd.  On 
the  evening  of  the  third  of  October  we  were  asked 
to  see  the  old  dances.  The  concert  hall  in  the  expo- 
sition building,  lighted  by  electric  lanterns,  was  dec- 
orated with  scarlet  maple  leaves  of  different  shad- 
ings. On  the  stage  an  orchestra  was  playing  a pot- 
pourri from  an  Italian  opera,  but  which  opera  it  was 
difficult  to  discover  from  their  execution.  After  that 
followed  Japanese  music,  which  is  distinguished  by 
its  discordances.  What  shall  I tell  you  of  the  pro- 
gram? If  I say  that  the  dances  were  the  “beautiful 
stork”  or  the  “happy  lion”  or  a “garden  of  plum 
trees”  it  will  surely  mean  nothing  to  you.  One  must 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  129 

see  these  beautiful  costumes,  these  charming  dancers, 
of  which  many  will  perhaps  not  be  to  your  taste  and 
their  peculiar  grace  will  not  answer  to  our  demands 
of  elegance.  The  scene,  however,  was  original, 
though  their  dancing  cannot  be  compared  to  the 
terpsichorean  art  of  our  country. 

Among  the  ancient  dances  the  most  comprehen- 
sible were  those  brought  over  from  Korea,  such  for 
instance  as  “ball  game”  or  the  “boatman.”  The 
evening  ended  with  a supper,  at  the  close  of  which 
the  Japanese  national  hymn  was  played,  followed  bv 
the  American,  Russian,  and  English  hymns,  the 
Marseillaise,  and  excuses  were  made  to  the  Spanish 
minister  for  not  being  able  to  give  the  Spanish  hymn. 

Although  I had  been  several  times  in  Kyoto,  I 
never  before  had  the  occasion  to  see  the  dance  Miako 
Odori,  as  it  can  be  seen  only  in  the  spring,  and  the 
preparations  being  very  expensive  it  is  given  only  on 
extraordinary  occasions.  A special  building  for  that 
purpose  was  erected.  Hundreds  of  ghetas  at  the 
door  of  the  theatre  show  the  presence  of  a native 
audience.  In  the  vestibule  part  of  the  public  was 
waiting  the  end  of  the  representation.  The  parterre 
in  a Japanese  theatre  is  not  arranged  in  the  Euro- 
pean fashion,  but  is  divided  in  squares,  where  the 
people  squat.  The  Europeans  were  shown  to  a box, 
but  to  the  great  scandal  of  the  Japanese  from  each 
end  of  the  stage  they  went  into  the  pit.  I must 
tell  you  that  in  a Japanese  theatre  from  each  end  of 
the  stage,  at  right  angles  to  it,  runs  a gangway  about 
three  feet  wide  across  the  auditorium,  from  where 
many  of  the  actors  make  their  entrance  and  exit. 


130  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

When  the  curtain  was  lifted  we  saw  on  the  scene 
the  summer  palace  of  the  Mikado  with  a veranda 
running  around  it.  Sixteen  handsomely  dressed 
geishas  sat  on  the  left  and  right  side,  playing  on  the 
samisen  (a  guitar  of  three  cords)  and  on  a small 
drum,  which  they  hold  uplifted  and  beat  with  their 
hands;  others  were  playing  on  a flat  drum  or  on 
bells.  Although  I am  not  a lover  of  Japanese  music, 
I was  pleased  with  the  beautiful  ensemble  before  our 
eyes. 

At  this  time  sixteen  dancers  carrying  branches  of 
cherry  blossoms  appeared  on  the  gangway  and 
gracefully  moved  to  the  stage.  They  were  richly 
dressed  in  silk  crape  and  the  various  colors,  pink, 
red,  blue,  red  and  white  enlivened  the  scene.  Their 
coiffures  were  the  acme  of  Japanese  hairdressing. 
Certainly  if  you  had  looked  at  them  closely  you 
would  have  remarked  that  their  faces  were  rouged 
and  covered  with  white,  that  the  eyes  were  black- 
ened; but  at  a distance  and  with  the  beautiful  cos- 
tumes they  presented  a delightful  and  graceful 
picture.  With  gracious  movements  they  waved 
the  branches  of  cherry  blossoms,  and  singing  in  time, 
both  parties  met  on  the  scene,  and  then  began  the  bal- 
let, certainly  not  in  European  style,  but  still  full  of 
grace  and  elegance. 

The  next  scene  was  the  palace  of  Nara,  then  came 
Arashi  Yama  in  autumn  when  all  the  mountain  is 
ablaze  with  purple  and  gold. 

Then  we  saw  the  palace  of  the  Mikado  on  the  lake, 
and  all  the  building,  owing  to  the  abundance  of 
electrical  lamps,  was  aglow  with  light.  The  dancers 
changed  at  every  scene  and  the  costumes  and  acces- 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


131 


sories  were  changed  with  them.  Instead  of  branches 
with  cherry  blossoms  there  were  fans  of  various 
forms  and  colors.  Having  witnessed  for  an  hour 
this  representation,  one  comes  out  without  feeling 
fatigued  and  will  forever  remember  the  delightful 
picture,  vivid  and  full  of  color,  of  the  spring  festi- 
val in  Kyoto.  It  is  a never  to  be  forgotten  sight, 
the  clear  heaven,  the  cherry  trees  in  bloom,  whole 
allees  foaming  with  white  and  pink  blossoms  against 
the  green  foliage,  and  a gay,  festive  crowd,  wholly 
harmonizing  with  it  in  bright  and  variegated  colors. 

On  the  following  day  our  company  went  to  Otsu, 
on  the  shores  of  Lake  Biwa,  and  the  carriage  road 
was  very  picturesque.  Tradition  says  that  during  a 
great  earthquake  appeared  Fuji  Yama,  the  holy 
mountain  of  Japan,  and  the  Lake  of  Biwa.  The 
guide  conducted  us  by  endless  staircases  to  a shrine 
which  was  not  worth  seeing.  Returning  from  Otsu 
we  visited  the  two-thousand-year-old  pine  tree, 
which  occupies  a great  space,  and  the  branches  of 
which  must  be  supported  by  props.  It  is  90  feet 
high,  the  circumference  is  3 7 feet,  the  length  of  one 
branch  from  east  to  west  240  feet,  one  from  north 
to  south  288  feet  and  the  number  of  branches  is  380. 

After  breakfasting  with  good  appetites  in  the 
shade  of  this  interesting  old  veteran  of  the  forest, 
several  of  our  company  decided  to  take  a row  on  the 
lake,  and  seeing  a boat  on  the  shore  unhesitatingly 
appropriated  it.  Soon  a company  of  Japanese 
youths  in  uniforms  appeared,  and  seeing  that  their 
boat  was  taken  by  foreigners  were  furious;  but  we 
succeeded  in  pacifying  them,  while  our  guide,  seeing 
heavy  clouds  approaching,  thought  it  wiser  to  return 


132  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

at  once.  Our  return  from  Otsu  to  Kyoto  was 
through  the  canal,  the  great  pride  of  Japanese  engi- 
neering art.  It  is  intended  that  this  canal  shall  one 
day  connect  Biwa  with  the  sea.  Up  to  the  present 
time  it  only  reaches  Kyoto.  On  the  course  of  the 
canal  several  tunnels  had  to  be  constructed  (the 
longest  of  which  is  2680  yards).  Lake  Biwa  is  280 
feet  above  sea  level  and  many  locks  were  necessary. 
For  our  trip  we  engaged  a house-boat.  One  has  a 
weird  sensation  entering  the  tunnel.  Fire  burns  on 
top  of  the  house-boat,  lighting  the  narrow  corridor ; 
the  voices  of  the  people  sound  hollow,  and  above  our 
heads  is  piled  the  great  mass  of  the  mountains.  One 
little  earthquake  (they  are  frequent  in  Japan)  and 
we  would  find  a damp  grave ; but  meanwhile  the  boat 
is  noisy  and  gay  with  women’s  laughter  and  song. 
Emerging  from  the  tunnel  a beautiful,  luxuriant  val- 
/ey  stretches  before  us,  enveloped  in  the  light  and 
warmth  of  the  sun.  Passing  the  outskirts  of  Kyoto 
we  stopped  at  the  temple  of  Kiomidzu  dera.  There 
are  more  beautiful  temples  in  Japan  and  in  what  lies 
the  peculiar  charm  of  this  one  it  is  difficult  to  say. 
It  is  an  old  mass  of  buildings,  darkened  by  time,  and 
overhanging  a steep  precipice  on  the  side  of  a high 
mountain.  There  was  a time  when  the  worshippers 
voluntarily  threw  themselves  over  this  precipice,  but 
later  a guard-railing  was  placed  there.  When  I first 
proposed  stopping  at  Kiomidzu  dera  all  made  wry 
faces,  but  now  sitting  silently  above  tbe  valley, 
watching  Kyoto  sunk  in  the  green  mysterious  mist 
of  the  fading  day,  all  seemed  to  have  forgotten  the 
entire  world. 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  133 

The  culminating  point  of  the  Jubilee  festivals  was 
an  historical  procession.  All  the  great  epochs  of 
Japan  passed  before  the  spectators  in  costumes  and 
arms  of  their  time.  First  came  the  priests  of  the 
time  of  Kwammu  Tenno  in  gold  helmets  and  cos- 
tumes, which  we  have  already  described  in  the  tem- 
ple; then  followed  thirty-five  men  in  white-winged 
costumes,  borrowed  from  Korea ; a procession  of  the 
time  of  Fujiwara  in  hats  resembling  horns  of  plenty; 
next  came  the  warriors  of  Nobunaga  in  armor  of  the 
time  of  Nobunaga,  when  Japan  first  made  acquaint- 
ance with  Europe;  the  Tokugawa  period  and  the 
procession  wound  up  with  men  in  evening  dress  and 
top  hats  and  a modern  band  of  music. 

On  the  following  day  we  were  invited  to  a mon- 
ster tournament,  in  which  1800  fencers  were  to  take 
part ; but  my  time  was  limited  and  I left  with  regret 
the  hospitable  ancient  capital  of  Japan. 


Chapter  XIII 


Nagoya — The  Shogun’s  palace  at  Nagoya — European  settle- 
ment in  Yokohama — Rivalry  of  English  and  Germans — 
O Kin  San  dancers  and  singers — Siro  or  citadel  in  Tokyo 
— Yashiki  or  palaces  of  the  feudal  lords — Ministries — The 
Russian  and  English  Legations — The  Orthodox  church — 
Bishop  Nicholas. 

I 

Notwithstanding  its  great  size,  Nagoya  makes 
no  impression  whatever;  like  every  Japanese  town 
with  its  shanties  and  ugly  little  buildings,  it  looks 
unfinished,  or  like  a town  being  rebuilt  after  a fire. 
For  this  reason  the  European  buildings,  the  acme  of 
bad  taste,  stand  out  like  gigantic  casernes  among  the 
hovels  and  sheds  composing  the  town.  The  princi- 
pal street  which  traverses  the  town  is  a broad,  fine 
chaussee,  bordered  with  trees  on  both  sides. 

Seventeen  versts  from  Nagoya  is  Seto,  known  for 
its  chinaware  (china  is  called  Japan  “seto  mono,”  or 
a thing  from  Seto).  It  is  common  and  not  to  be 
compared  with  that  of  Kyoto  or  Arima.  It  is  re- 
markably cheap,  however,  and  has  a wide  sale,  being 
especially  adapted  for  use  in  garden  and  house  deco- 
ration. There  are  something  like  70  furnaces,  with 
a thousand  workmen  and  revenue  of  250,000  yen. 

The  castle  of  Nagoya,  by  happy  chance,  remains 
intact,  and  one  can  easily  judge  how  the  feudal 
rulers  lived  300  years  ago.  This  castle  was  built  by 
order  of  Iyeyasu  for  his  son,  the  founder  of  the  fain- 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  135 

ily  of  the  princess  of  Owari.  If  I used  the  word  in- 
tact I mean  by  it  the  palace  and  the  living  part  of  the 
palace,  for  the  walls  are  everywhere  in  Japan  of  such 
massive,  cyclopean  character  that  there  was  never 
danger  of  their  falling  in  ruins. 

The  castle  of  Nagoya  is  surrounded  by  a double 
row  of  fortress  walls,  composed  of  enormous  stones, 
with  deep  moats  filled  with  water.  At  the  present 
time  a temporary  bridge  leads  to  a deep  gateway, 
entering  which  we  found  ourselves  in  the  midst  of 
the  military  element.  The  military  authorities,  noti- 
fied of  our  coming,  received  us  cordially,  inviting  us 
to  be  seated  in  a cold  room,  in  which  there  were  two 
unlighted  stoves,  no  one  knows  for  what  use.  Sweets 
and  tea  were  offered  to  us  and  we  exchanged  a few 
French  phrases.  With  the  general  spread  of  the 
English  language  in  Japan  it  is  quite  strange  to  note 
that  the  French  language  predominates  in  the  army. 
This  comes  by  tradition  from  the  time  of  the  last 
Taikun  (Shogun),  when  the  instructors  of  the  army 
were  French.  Then  the  French  army  was  consider- 
ed superior  to  all  others.  When  the  Germans  de- 
feated the  French,  the  Japanese  sought  instruction 
from  the  Germans;  but  the  French  language  had 
already  taken  root  in  the  army  and  will  surely  retain 
its  place  among  military  men  of  the  present  genera- 
tion. Apropos,  the  Japanese  doctors  have  adopted 
the  German  language,  for  the  reason  that  the  first 
teachers  of  the  Japanese  in  medical  science  were 
Dutch,  and  from  them  the  teaching  passed  to  the 
Germans.  The  palace  in  Nagoya  reminds  one  of 
that  in  Kyoto,  naturally,  as  they  were  both  built  at 
the  same  time  and  in  the  same  style.  In  spite  of  the 


136  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

rich  ornamentation  of  the  walls  the  rooms  resemble 
great  barns  on  account  of  their  dimensions  and  lack 
of  furniture.  The  drawings  which  decorate  the 
screens,  the  ones  of  Doinori  Matahe  (matahe — the 
stutterer),  representing  a popular  festival  in  Osaka, 
are  very  good  and  there  are  many  small  figures  ad- 
mirably executed,  but  entirely  lacking  in  perspective. 
In  other  rooms  there  are  pictures  of  cherry  trees  in 
blossom,  with  pheasants  of  Tosano  Mitsuoki,  tigers 
and  leopards  so  lifelike  that  they  seem  to  spring  from 
the  frames.  In  visiting  the  bedrooms  we  were  shown 
a secret  underground  passage  leading  to  one  of  the 
towers,  the  builder  of  which  was  compelled  to  dis- 
embowel himself  as  soon  as  the  work  was  finished. 
From  thence  we  were  conducted  to  the  five-storied 
tower.  Like  all  the  other  towers  in  Japan,  each 
story  is  separated  from  the  other  by  a tiled  roof,  the 
edges  of  which  curve  upwards.  At  the  very  top  of 
this  special  tower  are  two  gold  Dolphins,  valued  at 
$180,000  each,  placed  there  by  the  famous  Kato 
Kiomassa.  One  of  these  Dolphins  was  sent  to  the 
Vienna  exposition  and  went  down  near  Atami  on  its 
way  back,  with  the  ship  Nile.  It  was  afterwards 
recovered  by  divers  and  reinstated  in  its  former 
place,  to  the  great  joy  of  the  inhabitants  of  Nagoya. 
The  Dolphins  are  now — for  safe  keeping  against 
robbers — enclosed  in  a wire  netting. 

From  Idziri  to  Tokio  we  felt  all  the  discomforts 
of  an  unfinished  road.  The  country  is  beautiful  and 
of  a wild  grandeur.  Giant  rocks  overhang  the  rail- 
way, but  there  is  no  danger,  the  engineer  tells  us. 
Notwithstanding  this,  a year  later,  after  a terrible 
typhoon,  there  was  a great  landslide,  which  closed 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


137 


the  traffic  for  a time.  Upon  arrival  at  the  station  of 
Idziri  there  was  not  a soul  in  sight  and  we  did  not 
know  where  to  lay  our  heads.  Leaving  our  baggage 
to  its  fate  we  started  forth  in  search  of  shelter, 
which,  after  much  groping  through  dark,  unlighted 
streets,  was  found,  to  the  joy  of  my  Japanese  com- 
panion, who  longed  for  the  luxury  of  stretching  his 
limbs  on  a Japanese  matting.  Near  Idziri  is  the  port 
or  town  of  Shimidzu  Minato.  It  is  out  of  the  way, 
and  our  kurumayas  wheeled  us  through  such  tortu- 
ous streets  and  past  sheds,  that  I asked  myself  if  it 
would  not  be  better  to  return  to  the  high  road,  when 
suddenly,  as  if  by  magic,  a wonderful  picture  opened 
before  us.  Words  fail  and  only  the  finest  painter's 
brush  could  portray  the  beautiful  contour  of  the  bay, 
the  peace  and  rest  of  the  blue  sea  with  its  silent, 
white-sailed  boats,  and  rising  in  the  background 
the  Fujisan,  proudly  lifting  his  white  head  and  dom- 
inating the  country.  I have  seen  Fujiyama  many 
times  since,  but  only  in  Minato  could  I realize  fully 
why  the  Japanese  have  that  feeling  of  adoration  for 
their  holy  mountain.  I can  never  forget  the  pure 
white  cone,  illuminated  by  the  warm  rays  of  the  sun ; 
the  luxuriant  valley  and  the  smiling,  caressing  sea. 
In  Minato  one  sees  the  whole  sweep  of  the  mountain, 
not  part  of  it  as  in  other  places,  where  the  nearer 
mountains  intervene. 

In  the  treaty  concluded  with  Japan  by  the  United 
States  and  the  other  powers  it  was  stipulated  that 
the  Europeans  should  have  a settlement  in  Kana- 
gawa,  but  as  Kanagawa  lay  on  the  high  road  between 
Tokyo  and  Kyoto  and  as  the  European  population 
was  in  danger  from  turbulent  samurai,  escorting 


138 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


their  daimios,  they  chose  the  present  port  of  Yoko- 
hama, which  was  far  from  the  Japanese  and  the 
high  road.  As  for  the  port  of  Yokohama,  the  road- 
stead is  open  and  inconvenient  and  the  government 
has  had  to  spend  millions  for  breakwaters.  The 
town  consists  of  a European  quarter  with  a fine  quay, 
hotels,  shops  in  which  everything  can  be  found,  and 
beautiful  villas  hidden  in  the  green  of  the  height 
dominating  the  city.  The  dirty  Chinese  quarter  and 
the  Japanese  part,  which  stretches  out  in  the  valley  is 
composed  of  poor,  wooden  buildings.  The  Europeans 
number  a little  more  than  a thousand,  the  most  nu- 
merous European  settlement  in  Japan.  In  spite  of 
this  the  streets  in  the  daytime  are  forlorn  and  one  sees 
little  animation,  excepting  the  hours  before  breakfast 
and  dinner,  when  the  business  men,  or  dollar  grind- 
ers, as  they  are  called  here,  return  home  from  their 
work,  or  are  on  their  way  to  the  club  to  have  a cock- 
tail and  gossip  about  their  neighbors  or  discuss  the 
last  earthquake.  Many  of  them  own  magnificent 
turnouts,  and  among  those  driving  are  the  demi-mon- 
daines,  or  “Americans,”  as  they  are  called  there, 
being  worshippers  of  money  and  commanding  a 
great  price  on  the  market.  In  spite  of  the  fact  that 
they  are  not  in  their  first  youth,  they  all  find  adorers 
among  the  business  men  and  the  gilded  youth.  The 
work  of  a business  man  here  is  not  exhausting,  as 
he  must  employ  commissioners,  Japanese  (banto)  or 
Chinese  (comprador),  for  transactions  with  the 
natives,  his  own  share  being  the  correspondence  on 
mail  day.  The  rest  of  the  time  is  spent  in  clubs  play- 
ing poker  or  billiards  or  betting  on  the  races.  These 
latter  are  so  important  that  all  offices  and  even  the 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  139 

banks  are  closed  on  race  days.  The  offices  are  sit- 
uated in  the  lower  part  of  the  town  with  the  banks 
and  hotels,  but  the  people  generally  live  on  the  bluff 
in  beautiful  homes.  Life  in  these  golden  residences 
is  lonely,  however,  and  the  one  thought  is  to  invite 
guests,  therefore  dinners  play  a great  role  in  the  Far 
East.  The  dinners  are  long,  with  luxurious  service, 
and  the  evenings  are  spent  in  playing  cards,  music, 
and  song,  and  the  guests  retire  at  late  hours.  One 
must  remember  that  these  dinners  are  the  only  dis- 
traction where  there  is  no  opera  and  no  theatre,  or 
if  there  is  a theatrical  representation  or  a concert  it 
is  generally  arranged  by  amateurs  or  some  passing 
artist.  Therefore  the  dinners  in  the  Far  East  mean 
everything  to  the  foreigner.  This  fashion  necessi- 
tates many  servants,  and  life  is  conducted  on  a broad, 
rich  scale.  The  English  give  the  tone,  and  if  they 
make  much  money  they  spend  it  lavishly,  denying 
themselves  nothing.  This  cannot  be  said  of  the  Ger- 
mans, who  are  saving,  and  only  from  sheer  necessity 
keep  up  with  their  neighbors.  Besides  the  dining 
there  are  all  the  sports — cricket,  lawn  tennis,  golf, 
races,  boat-races  and  swimming-matches.  To  com- 
plete the  picture  there  are  sometimes  subscription 
balls,  where  one  can  see  all  the  Tokyo  and  Yoko- 
hama beau  monde.  In  spite  of  all  this,  ennui  gnaws 
these  favorites  of  fortune  and  a trip  to  Europe  now 
and  then  is  a necessity.  There  are,  however,  some 
Europeans  who  take  to  this  life  like  fish  to  water  and 
no  inducement  would  make  them  return  to  Europe. 

The  Japanese  quarter,  lying  next  to  the  European, 
is  full  of  life,  noise,  crowding,  laughter  and  gay  talk, 
but  never  the  shrill  cries  that  one  hears  in  China. 


140  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

The  inherent  politeness  of  the  Japanese  guards  him 
from  anything  coarse  or  inelegant.  It  is  curious  to 
note  that  the  European  head-dress  was  the  first  thing 
adopted  by  the  Japanese.  Formerly  they  went  bare- 
headed, with  the  head  partly  shaved,  leaving  only  a 
small  top-knot  of  hair.  But  fashion  subjugates  all, 
and  already  the  women,  so  conservative  in  Japan, 
are  beginning  to  adopt  the  European  dress.  Speak- 
ing of  women,  it  is  apropos  to  tell  you  of  our  visit 
with  the  commander  and  some  of  the  officers  of  the 
Viticiz  to  the  well-known  O Kin  San  (lady  of  gold). 
All  foreigners  know  the  tea  house  with  the  ioi  steps. 
The  lady  of  gold  is  no  longer  a young  geisha,  but 
she  is  very  clever  and  can  speak  in  many  languages 
and  amuses  the  foreigners  with  her  gaiety  and  ani- 
mation. The  interior  of  a Japanese  house  has  already 
been  described,  and  the  mistress  of  the  house,  with 
all  her  servants,  welcomes  the  guests  squatted  on 
their  heels  and  bowing  their  heads  to  the  earth.  You 
enter  and  squat  like  them  on  the  floor,  but  this  is 
easier  said  than  done.  The  Japanese  can  sit  on  his 
heels  for  hours,  but  the  European  after  a moment 
begins  to  squirm,  lie  down,  or  sit  Turkish  fashion, 
all  without  success,  to  the  infinite  amusement  of  the 
Japanese,  who  slyly  mock  the  red-haired  barbarian. 
Immediately  upon  our  arrival  the  mistress  offered 
us  green  tea  in  a minute  cup.  and  the  inevitable  bis- 
cuit-cake (castera)  introduced  in  Japan  by  the  Por- 
tuguese. Beer,  champagne,  and  Japanese  dancers 
were  called  for.  The  music  and  dancing  girls  who 
appeared  at  O Kin  San’s  were  certainly  not  of  the 
best,  as  the  first-class  geishas  are  in  such  demand  that 
one  must  engage  them  long  beforehand.  The  danc- 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  141 

ing  soon  bored  the  company  and  Japanese  games 
began.  One  in  which  the  player  must  guess  “how 
many  fingers  will  you  show?”  is  very  much  like  the 
Italian  game  “mora.”  There  is  another  game  in 
which  fingers  represent  a fox,  a man,  and  a gun. 
Then  there  is  “tomase,  or  follow  the  leader,”  and  the 
loser  must  pay  a forfeit  or  drink  a cup  of  “sake” 
(Japanese  brandy).  This  ends  in  the  gradual  di- 
vesting of  all  one’s  clothes  and  is  called  by  the  Eu- 
ropeans “Jonkiena.”  The  origin  of  it  is  difficult  to 
trace.  Some  say  that  it  originated  with  a Dutchman, 
“John  Keen,”  and  others  that  it  simply  comes  from 
the  Choi-keena  (“come,  come”)  ; but  this  game  in 
its  original  form  is  now  forbidden  by  the  police  and 
can  only  he  seen  in  the  very  lowest  houses.  One 
must  say,  though,  that  the  Japanese  behold  the 
naked  form  with  perfect  indifference;  as  I have  said, 
the  naked  woman  bathing  is  no  uncommon  sight, 
they  nurse  their  children  in  the  theatres,  and  in  fact, 
they  think  nothing  of  nakedness. 

One  fine  day  we  chose  to  visit  Kamakura.  A car- 
riage takes  one  as  far  as  Fujisawa,  where  we  stopped 
at  a tea-house  and  had  some  tea  with  pastry.  No 
sooner  had  we  taken  our  places  on  the  matting  than 
a crowd  of  Japanese  surrounded  us.  The  curiosity 
of  the  Japanese  is  astonishing.  When  you  meet  one 
walking  and  he  asks  you  a question,  woe  he  to  you 
if  you  answer  him,  for  he  will  shower  you  with  ques- 
tions. From  Fujisawa  the  road  lies  through  a pic- 
turesque gorge,  which  winds  like  a ribbon  among 
high,  inaccessible  rocks,  and  at  the  top  a sort  of  tun- 
nel has  been  blasted  through  solid  granite,  coming 
out  of  which  one  begins  to  see  the  bright,  blooming 


142  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

valley,  warmed  by  the  rays  of  the  sun.  There  lies 
Kamakuru,  the  famous  capital  of  Yoritomo.  A 
feeling  of  sadness  overpowers  one  at  sight  of  a 
place  illumined  by  the  historical  deeds  of  great  men, 
when  through  one’s  mind  passes  the  brilliant  picture 
of  vanished  luxury,  wonderful  buildings,  and  the 
festivals  of  the  once  noisy  and  populous  capital.  One 
cannot  overcome  this  sad  impression  in  Memphis, 
for  instance — once  glorious  and  populous,  now 
mounds  of  broken  pottery,  as  if  history  could  only 
express  itself  in  one  way,  a heap  of  rubbish.  But 
sadder  still  is  the  impression  when  one  sees  all  man's 
efforts  swallowed  up  in  the  mighty  embrace  of 
nature,  and  there,  where  man  has  lived  and  thought, 
nature  has  swept  away  all  traces,  covering  every  spot 
with  luxurious  vegetation — a mockery  of  the  efforts 
of  men.  Nothing  remains  of  the  former  capital  of 
Yoritomo  except  the  colossal  statue  of  Buddha  and 
the  mournful  sound  of  the  bells  in  the  neighboring 
temple,  where  armor  and  accoutrements  of  Yori- 
tomo are  exhibited. 

Here  are  the  dimensions  of  this  statue  of  Buddha : 
the  height,  49  feet  7 inches;  circumference,  97  feet 
2 inches ; length  of  face,  8 feet  5 inches ; from  ear  to 
ear,  17  feet  9 inches ; eyes,  3 feet  1 1 inches  long;  ears, 
6 feet  6 inches ; nose,  3 feet  9 inches ; mouth.  3 feet ; 
thumb,  3 feet ; the  eyes  are  made  of  solid  gold  and  the 
silver  wart  in  the  middle  of  the  forehead  weighs  30 
pounds.  But  with  these  colossal  dimensions  it  is  a 
chef-d’oeuvre,  as  an  expression  of  the  genius  of  Bud- 
dhism. The  calm  and  passionless  face  of  Buddha, 
looking  with  indifference  upon  the  trivial  agitations 
of  mankind,  speaks  eloquently  of  the  victory  of 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  143 

reason  over  sentiment,  of  eternity  and  all  absorbing 
Nirvana. 

On  our  return  we  visited  the  sugarloaf  promon- 
tory of  Enoshima,  where  reigns  the  benevolent  god- 
dess Benten.  During  the  day  she  lives  in  the  cave, 
and  at  night  she  moves  the  sea  with  the  tones  of  her 
lyre;  she  pacifies  the  storms,  and  where  she  is,  har- 
mony reigns.  At  high  tide  Enoshima  is  an  island. 
After  a tiresome  walk  through  the  sand  we  climbed 
to  the  summit  of  the  rock,  on  the  side  of  which  hangs 
a village  consisting  entirely  of  booths  and  shops, 
where  all  sorts  of  shell-work  is  sold.  There  are 
many  temples,  and  pilgrims  are  everywhere.  The 
cave  is  almost  inaccessible  at  high  tide,  and  one  must 
jump  from  one  stone  to  another;  finally  we  were 
carried  on  the  backs  of  the  kurumayas  across  the 
water.  The  cave  is  enormous,  and  in  one  of  the  cor- 
ridors is  the  sanctuary  of  the  Goddess  Benten. 

Our  return  was  after  dark,  but  thanks  to  a Japa- 
nese fete  the  streets  were  lighted  by  many  colored 
lanterns  and  great  animation  reigned  in  the  town. 

To  become  familiar  with  a town  which  contains 
1,500,000  inhabitants  and  spreads  over  a great  space 
is  not  an  easy  thing,  but  when  one  knows  the  plan 
in  its  great  lines  it  is  easy  to  find  the  way  out  in  such  a 
labyrinth  as  Tokyo,  which  resembles  in  no  way  a Eu- 
ropean city,  and  consists  of  three  towns,  each  with 
different  characteristics;  one  half-European  town, 
another  not  touched  by  European  civilization,  and 
the  third  the  Imperial  City.  We  will  begin  with  the 
Imperial  City,  which  is  the  center  of  this  agglom- 
eration. 


144  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

One  must  state  first  of  all  that  wherever  there  was  a 
residence  of  a Shogun  or  a daimio,  there  was  a castle 
or  Siro,  around  which,  as  around  a center,  the  town 
grouped  itself.  The  “Siro,”  like  the  Russian  Krem- 
lin, formed  the  heart  of  the  town,  from  which  it  was 
separated  by  high  walls  and  deep  moats.  The  walls 
of  the  Tokyo  Siro,  are  so  broad  that  a carriage  can 
be  driven  along  the  top ; they  are  now  covered  with 
lawns  and  big  trees.  The  broad,  deep  moats  sur- 
rounding the  Siro  in  two  parallel  circles  do  not  pro- 
tect any  one  at  present ; they  are  covered  with  lotus 
and  are  a breeding-ground  for  a numerous  host  of 
ducks  and  geese.  Already  the  opinion  is  voiced 
that  these  thick  walls  with  embrasures  are  useless, 
and  that  the  big  moats,  resembling  large  lakes, 
should  be  filled  and  leveled,  making  Tokyo  an  up- 
to-date  and  well-regulated  capital.  From  a practi- 
cal and  hygienic  standpoint  such  a reform  would  be 
perhaps  advantageous,  but  Tokyo  would  lose  its 
picturesqueness,  originality,  and  beauty. 

In  the  Tokyo  Siro  were  the  palace  of  the  Shogun, 
burned  in  1872;  the  palace  of  the  heir  apparent,  the 
Privy  Council,  and  many  other  buildings,  with  a lux- 
urious garden,  laid  out  by  Taiko  Sama,  and  there 
now  stands  the  palace  of  the  Mikado.  Formerly  the 
palaces  of  the  feudal  chiefs  which  were  outside  the 
Siro,  and  in  which  the  daimios  lived,  were  occupied 
in  the  winter  by  the  daimios  and  their  families,  who 
in  case  of  absence  of  the  owner  were  left  as  hostages 
of  the  Shogun.  Now  they  have  been  for  the  most 
part  turned  into  public  offices  or  barracks. 

Of  course  these  feudal  palaces  are  not  what  we 
would  consider  palaces.  Toward  the  streets  there  is 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


145 


a palisade  or  line  of  ugly  wooden  buildings,  with 
broad  low  windows,  protected  by  straight  black  bars. 
Looking  at  these  monotonous  and  tedious  parallel- 
ograms one  must  not  forget  that  the  Japanese  always 
hide  their  best  rooms  on  the  back  court,  and  more 
so  in  the  dwellings  of  the  daimios,  which  were  al- 
ways situated  in  the  center  of  the  compound,  the 
outer  buildings  being  occupied  by  their  retainers, 
bodyguard  and  horses,  serving  as  defense  in  case  of 
sudden  attack.  Therefore  this  sort  of  palisade  bad 
the  character  of  a fortress,  as  much  as  was  possible, 
in  face  of  the  suspicious  Shoguns. 

A direct  contrast  with  the  feudal  palaces  are  the 
new  palaces  and  government  buildings  constructed 
in  the  European  style.  Their  architecture  is  not 
very  successful,  reminding  one  sometimes  of  a 
square  box  or  a watch  tower.  The  best  of  the  mod- 
ern buildings  are  the  different  legations.  One  of  the 
most  imposing  buildings  is  the  great  Greek  Ortho- 
dox Cathedral,  which  commands  a view  of  the  city. 

Near  it  is  a school  for  boys  and  girls,  directed  by 
Bishop  Nicholas  and  bis  assistants.  The  setting  of 
the  school  is  purely  Japanese  and  the  instruction  is  in 
the  Japanese  language,  as  are  the  services  in  the  ca- 
thedral. The  Bishop  has  organized  a very  good 
choir  and  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  Japanese  have 
very  great  musical  aptitude.  It  is  curious  for  a Rus- 
sian to  hear  his  own  service  in  the  Japanese  language 
and  to  see  a crowd  of  worshippers  listening  devoutly 
to  a Japanese  sermon,  and  he  must  conclude  that  this 
work,  begun  by  Bishop  Nicholas,  is  on  a solid  foun- 
dation and  will  live  even  without  aid  from  Russia. 


Chapter  XIV 


Street  life  in  Tokyo — Nakadori — Asakusa — Tokyo  high  life — 
Imperial  family. 


Before  one  knows  the  real  internal  life  of  a coun- 
try one  seeks  superficial  impressions,  to  gain  by  them 
a certain  insight  into  the  character  of  the  people. 
The  first  thing  to  do  upon  arrival  in  Tokyo  is  to  go 
to  the  Ginza,  a broad  street  with  sidewalks  lined 
with  trees,  where  are  to  be  found  the  principal  shops, 
many  houses  built  in  the  European  style,  and,  what 
is  most  important,  many  shops  lighted  with  electric 
lamps.  We  are  in  the  land  of  contrasts.  While 
the  shops  in  the  Ginza  are  lighted  by  Edison  lamps, 
the  rest  of  the  town,  as  is  the  case  in  all  Japan,  is 
plunged  in  darkness,  and  every  pedestrian  must  be 
provided  with  his  own  lantern.  People  are  riding 
in  jinrikshas,  and  loads  are  carried  only  on  the 
backs  of  men;  and  side  by  side  with  these  you  find 
cars  and  equipages.  The  foreign  ministers  and 
high  Japanese  officials  already  consider  it  not  comnie 
il  fant  to  ride  in  jinrikshas,  and  keep  their  own  car- 
riages. This  innovation  is  possible,  thanks  to  the 
broad  and  straight  streets  in  Tokyo.  Even  the 
character  of  the  Japanese  has  somewhat  changed 
under  European  influence,  and  the  Japanese  who 
formerly  considered  the  Chinese  precept,  “It  is  bet- 
ter to  sit  than  stand,”  now  ride  horseback  or  ride  a 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  147 

bicycle.  But  let  us  look  at  the  animated  scene  on 
the  Ginza.  Dark  blue,  gray,  white,  and  black  ki- 
monos flit  before  the  eyes,  and  tiny  beings  with 
painted  faces  and  immovable  coiffures,  glistening  in 
the  sunlight,  are  laughing  gaily  with  a contagious 
laughter  which  makes  one  light-hearted  to  hear. 
Then  the  scraping  of  the  wooden  clogs  over  the 
stones  or  the  flopping  of  straw  sandals,  the  shrieks 
of  the  vendors,  the  tam-tam  drums,  calling  attention 
to  the  opening  of  a theatre;  the  enticing  invitation 
of  the  kurumayas,  the  rumbling  of  the  cars  and 
omnibuses,  all  make  a great  noise;  but  in  spite  of  all 
this  noise  the  order  in  the  street  is  exemplary,  and 
the  crowd  shows  its  good  bringing  up.  One  hears 
all  the  time,  “gomen  nasai”  (excuse  me),  or  “have 
the  kindness  to  let  me  pass;”  and  if  acquaintances 
meet  the  polite  bowing  has  no  end. 

If  you  wish  to  buy  Japanese  curios  or  visit  a bric- 
a-brac  shop — and  every  newcomer  to  Japan  has  this 
passion — the  best  place  is  the  Nakadori.  There  one 
finds  the  pearls  of  Japanese  art;  but  one  must  have 
much  time,  patience,  and  endurance,  for  buying  in 
Japan  is  a long-drawn-out  affair. 

As  I have  already  said,  unlike  our  system,  where 
the  best  wares  are  displayed,  the  Japanese  is  just  the 
opposite — he  will  never  show  you  the  best  things 
first,  and  only  when  he  has  ascertained  that  you  are 
serious,  and  not  merely  a sightseer,  will  he  bring 
forth  his  treasures. 

The  park  of  Ueno  is  one  of  the  largest  parks  of 
the  capital,  and  there  one  finds  always  a crowd  of 
promenaders.  The  park  is  hilly,  and  on  one  of 
these  elevations  is  a bronze  statue  of  Buddha  and 


148  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

a five-storied  red  pagoda,  with  bells  dangling  from 
its  roofs. 

On  one  corner  of  the  park  is  an  exposition  of 
pictures,  but  not  of  pictures  in  the  European  sense, 
but  rather  water-color  or  sepia  sketches,  made  on 
silk  or  paper.  The  Japanese  artist  never  gives  more 
than  an  outline  of  a scene  or  a landscape,  and  prin- 
cipally excels  in  the  drawing  of  birds  and  animals, 
which  seem  almost  to  be  alive. 

The  principal  attraction  of  the  exposition  is  an 
embroidered  screen,  worth  $7,000,  and  on  which  the 
artist  spent  several  years  of  his  life.  Then  there 
are  European  clothes  in  bad  taste,  hats  and  other 
things,  which  one  sees  in  other  exhibitions. 

If  you  want  to  see  a tremendous  crowd,  go  to  Asa- 
kusa,  where  there  is  a permanent  exhibition  of  chil- 
dren’s toys,  and  something  like  a fair,  round  the 
temple  of  Kin  riu  san.  In  the  center  of  this  park, 
called  Asakusa,  surrounded  by  groves  of  centenary 
cedars,  is  a wooden  shrine,  with  its  two-storied  tiled 
roof  and  all  its  woodwork  covered  with  red  lacquer, 
as  are  the  massive  columns  in  the  interior.  In  the 
depth  of  the  temple  is  a golden  statue  of  Kwannon 
Sama,  illuminated  by  numberless  candles.  The 
place  where  the  statue  stands  is  divided  from  the 
other  part  of  the  temple  by  a fine  grating.  There 
are  always  a crowd  of  worshippers,  who  begin  by 
giving  a small  coin  for  the  privilege  of  washing 
their  hands  and  rinsing  their  mouths  in  a stone 
fount,  as  you  must  begin  praying  with  clean  breath. 
Then  each  seeks  his  special  god,  which  depends  on 
what  he  wants — whether  it  is  a lucky  fishing  expe- 
dition, or  to  be  cured  of  an  illness,  or  to  make  a 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  149 

good  journey;  and  to  attract  attention  of  the  divin- 
ity he  pulls  a rope  on  which  hangs  a bell,  then, 
throwing  a coin  on  the  matting  or  on  the  box,  he 
folds  his  arms  and  prays,  clapping  his  hands  mean- 
while several  times. 

Asakusa  is  not  only  for  those  who  pray,  but  for 
those  who  seek  gaiety  and  an  outing.  The  broad 
street  which  conducts  to  the  temple  is  paved  with 
stone  slabs  and  bordered  on  both  sides  with  shops, 
before  which  there  is  always  a throng  of  people,  who 
never  disperse  before  midnight.  Every  evening  it 
is  brilliantly  illuminated  with  red  lanterns  and  lights. 
Above  all,  the  children  are  in  evidence,  crowding 
with  happy  faces  about  the  toy  shops  where  is  dis- 
played a great  variety  of  objects.  There  are  dolls 
of  every  possible  description,  made  of  silk,  hanging 
on  strings,  and  animals,  frogs,  birds  waving  their 
wings,  fish,  toads,  elephants,  boats,  fans,  umbrellas, 
small  play-sandals  and  clogs,  flowers,  butterflies, 
lanterns,  and  kites.  There  are  also  shops  with 
sweets,  some  of  which  are  very  good — candied  fruits, 
marmalades,  all  sorts  of  jellies  and  pastries;  and, 
besides  all  this,  books,  china,  pictures,  and  eatables. 
Especially  original  are  the  shops  with  flowers  and 
dwarf  trees,  which  are  only  a few  inches  high,  and 
look  like  thousand-year-old  trees.  To  train  these 
remarkable  things  the  gardener  breaks  off  the  root 
every  week  and  trims  the  branches  and  trunk,  and 
these  trees  are  used  for  the  decoration  of  small 
gardens  of  a yard  or  two  in  diameter,  where  one 
will  find  also  miniature  rivers,  mountains,  waterfalls, 
rocks,  and  forests.  At  Asakusa  there  are  shows  of 
all  kinds,  shooting-galleries  for  gun  and  bow,  bird- 


150  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

shows  and  picturesque  tea-houses,  where  the  girls  en- 
ticingly call  to  you  “to  come  in  and  rest.”  The 
children  are  flying  kites  or  liberating  birds,  which 
are  sold  for  the  purpose  by  small  boys ; or  feeding  the 
pigeons,  which  swarm  about  the  temple, — all  having 
a glorious  time  generally.  The  greatest  attraction 
is  the  wooden  model  of  Fuji  Yama,  covered  with 
chalk,  no  feet  high  and  1000  feet  in  circumference, 
and  the  climbers  number  to  10,000  daily. 

The  beautiful  park  of  Shiba,  with  the  tombs  of 
the  Shoguns,  make  a solemn  impression  by  their 
peace  and  quiet,  like  an  accord  of  the  funeral  march 
of  Beethoven.  These  shrines,  blazing  with  gold, 
decorated  with  carvings  and  arabesques,  with  col- 
umns covered  with  red  lacquer,  which  extravagant 
and  rich  ornamentations  are  among  the  best  speci- 
mens of  Japanese  art,  of  the  time  when  Shintoism  or 
Taikuns,  as  Buddhist,  lavishly  decorated  their  tem- 
ples. Thanks  to  them,  Japanese  architecture  devel- 
oped an  original  character,  and  sculpture  had  its 
masters,  like  Hidari  Jingoro,  who  left  wonderful 
carvings  which  aroused  the  admiration  of  for- 
eigners. 

Now  for  variety  let  us  look  at  society,  and  seek 
there  distraction.  There  is  a society  in  Tokyo,  and 
balls,  receptions  and  routs  are  given,  to  which  are 
invited  the  princes  of  the  Imperial  House,  the  Jap- 
anese nobility,  high  officials,  and  foreign  ministers. 
The  Mikado,  coming  out  of  his  seclusion,  receives 
the  foreign  ministers,  assists  at  parades,  manoeuvres, 
opening  of  expositions,  races,  launching  of  ships,  the 
same  as  do  all  rulers  in  Europe.  Accompanied  by  a 
mounted  guard,  he  drives  in  a Paris  landau,  and  in 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  151 

the  shops  one  can  buy  his  portrait  in  a European  uni- 
form. To  tell  the  truth,  he  is  rarely  seen  in  public, 
seldom  leaving  the  vast  palace  grounds,  where  there 
is  a park,  a manege,  a shooting-gallery,  a theatrical 
hall,  etc.  The  Mikado  has  a palace  in  Tokyo,  an- 
other in  Hakone,  on  an  island  in  the  lake,  and  a 
hunting-lodge,  with  a deer  park,  in  Nikko;  but  he 
stays  most  of  the  time  in  Tokyo,  even  during  the 
great  heat  of  summer. 

The  Empress  is  much  more  in  evidence,  as  she 
has  taken  under  her  protection  the  benevolent  socie- 
ties, and  through  her  initiative  have  been  founded 
hospitals,  schools,  and  the  Red  Cross  Society,  in  all 
of  which  she  takes  an  active  part.  Unfortunately, 
she  and  her  court  ladies  have  discarded  the  sump- 
tuous ancient  court  costume,  and  dress  in  European 
style;  but  it  is  said  that  she  uses  only  Japanese  ma- 
terials and  employs  Japanese  dressmakers;  she  rides 
horseback,  but  only  in  the  precincts  of  her  own  park, 
and  when  she  drives  out  the  curtains  of  the  carriage 
are  pulled  down.  Pierre  Loti  has  most  poetically 
described  the  Empress  of  Japan,  and  according  to 
Japanese  ideals  she  is  beautiful,  with  her  oval  face, 
delicate  features,  dark,  velvet  eyes,  and  hair  as  black 
as  a raven’s  wing.  Like  all  married  women  in 
Japan,  she  blackened  her  teeth  and  shaved  her  eye- 
brows, but  this  custom  she  dropped  long  ago.  The 
Empress  belongs  to  an  old  house,  related  to  the 
Imperial  family. 

The  heir  apparent,  the  Imperial  Prince  Haru  no 
Miya,  the  son  of  the  Emperor  by  one  of  his  court 
ladies  (the  Empress  has  no  children),  is  married, 
and  has  children  and  a court  of  his  own.  Apropos, 


152  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

the  present  Emperor  is  also  the  son  of  a court  lady, 
and  not  of  the  dowager  Empress. 

When  the  Emperor  removed  the  capital  to  Tokyo 
he  first  occupied  the  former  palace  of  the  Shogun. 
When  it  was  burned  he  moved  to  the  Yashiki,  or 
palace  belonging  to  the  Tokugawa  branch,  which 
had  possession  in  Kiushiu,  and  began  the  construc- 
tion of  the  new  palace  on  the  site  of  the  old  one  of 
the  Shogun.  In  1889  the  Emperor  moved  to  the 
new  palace,  which  is  constructed  in  a mixed  style, 
and  cost  3,000,000  yen.  It  is  a veritable  labyrinth, 
having  European  rooms,  but  the  Japanese  style  pre- 
dominates. It  has  steam  heat  and  electric  lights, 
with  the  sliding  walls  found  in  most  Japanese  build- 
ings. There  is  a throne-room  60  feet  long,  a draw- 
ing-room with  walls  and  ceilings  of  gold  material, 
embroidered  with  fruits  and  flowers;  a great  ball- 
room, and  a banquet-hall,  the  service  of  which  is 
imported  from  Germany. 

The  official  receptions  are  few — on  the  3d  of  No- 
vember, on  the  occasion  of  the  Emperor’s  birthday; 
New-year’s  day,  and  the  day  of  the  proclamation  of 
the  Constitution.  In  the  spring-time,  when  the 
cherry  trees  blossom,  and  in  the  autumn,  in  chrysan- 
themum season,  a garden-party  is  given  in  one  of 
the  suburban  palaces,  to  which  are  invited  the  diplo- 
matic corps,  consular  corps,  and  foreigners  of  dis- 
tinction in  Tokyo  and  Yokohama,  which  is  an  hour’s 
ride  by  rail  from  the  capital.  They  have  no  court 
balls,  as  they  have  in  Europe,  as  it  is  said  that  the 
Mikado  does  not  approve  of  European  dancing;  but 
balls  are  given  by  the  princes  of  the  Imperial  House, 
the  Princes  Arisugawa,  Kitashirakawa,  and  the  min- 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  153 

isters,  and  to  these  balls  are  invited  all  the  high  soci- 
ety of  Tokyo  and  Yokohama. 

Shortly  after  my  arrival  a ball  was  given  by  the 
Prince  Arisugawa,  Senior.  His  palace  is  finished  in 
European  style,  and  is  very  luxurious.  But  what  a 
mixture  of  types  and  conditions  of  men!  Official 
Japan  in  gold-embroidered  uniforms,  glistening  with 
orders  and  decorations;  ladies  in  European  dresses, 
side  by  side  with  the  butcher  of  Yokohama  and  his 
ponderous  wife,  who  certainly  in  Germany  stood  be- 
hind the  counter,  and  now  as  the  representative  of 
the  European  fair  sex  mixes  with  princes  and  min- 
isters. Meeting  each  other,  the  Japanese,  in  spite  of 
their  uniform,  draw  in  their  breath  with  a hissing 
sound,  and  bow  double.  The  Prince  and  the  Prin- 
cess stand  in  the  drawing-room,  receiving  their 
guests,  giving  their  hands  to  each  one.  The  dancing 
begins  with  a quadrille  d’honneur,  in  which  the 
Prince  dances  with  the  wife  of  a foreign  minister 
and  the  Princess  with  one  of  the  Japanese  gros  bon- 
nets. The  Prince  and  the  Princess  seem  to  dance 
with  pleasure,  and  generally  the  Japanese  dance  se- 
riously and  conscientiously  the  Caledonians  and  the 
lancers.  Among  the  Japanese  women  one  finds 
sometimes  pretty  faces,  and  some  of  them  know  how 
to  carry  off  European  dress  with  Parisian  chic.  Al- 
though the  European  costume  is  not  always  becom- 
ing to  them,  some  of  the  women  of  the  higher  classes 
welcome  it  as  the  sign  of  the  end  of  slavery.  A Jap- 
anese wife  in  her  national  costume,  walking  with 
her  husband,  cannot  walk  beside  him,  but  must  walk 
behind,  while  the  same  woman  in  European  costume 
is  given  the  first  place  in  the  drawing-room,  and  no 


154  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

wonder  they  like  it.  But  drive  away  what  is  nat- 
ural, it  comes  galloping  back;  and  so  it  is  with  the 
Japanese,  who  cast  off  with  difficulty  their  old  cus- 
toms. For  instance,  at  official  balls  you  often  see 
them  sitting  on  the  sofas  with  their  feet  drawn  up. 
It  is  also  amusing  to  see  what  pillage  goes  on  at  the 
buffet,  as  if  it  were  a lot  of  savages,  and  not  well- 
bred  society.  The  evening  winds  up  with  a scandal, 
when  some  Japanese,  who  has  imbibed  too  much, 
becomes  boisterous  and  has  to  be  taken  away. 

The  guests  begin  to  leave  at  one  o’clock,  and  an 
extra  train  is  waiting  for  those  from  Yokohama,  all 
having  been  provided  with  tickets  when  invited  Les 
choses  se  font  grand ement ; and  all  the  guests  depart 
with  pleasant  remembrances  of  the  kindness  and  of 
the  hospitality  of  the  distinguished  hosts. 


Chapter  XV 


The  reception-day  of  the  Marchioness  Ito — The  chrysanthe- 
mum (kiku)  festival  at  the  suburban  palace — New-year’s 
celebrations  in  Tokyo — Cha-no-yu — Fires. 

The  reception-day  of  a Japanese  lady  is  interest- 
ing-. The  English  fashion  prevails  of  offering  tea 
and  cakes  to  the  guest,  but  the  mother  and  daughter 
understand  well  the  meaning  of  the  precept  that  si- 
lence is  golden.  They  only  listen,  with  now  and 
then  a monosyllable  “yes”  or  “no,”  which  finishes 
the  subject,  no  matter  with  what  energy  the  visitor 
tries  to  make  a conversation.  Yet  this  silent  Mar- 
chioness could  tell  many  interesting  things  of  her 
former  life.  She  could  tell  how,  during  the  bloody 
civil  war,  she  saved  the  life  of  her  lover,  who  after- 
wards became  her  husband  and  first  minister  of 
Japan.  The  murderers  had  tracked  Ito  to  her 
house,  and  the  noise  of  the  arms  and  wooden  clogs 
was  already  near,  when  Ito,  realizing  that  he  could 
not  escape  death,  drew  his  sword  to  end  his  own 
life.  The  present  Marchioness  whispered  to  him, 
“Do  not  die,”  and  with  the  quickness  of  lightning 
pushed  away  the  hibachi  (brazier),  lifted  the 
matting,  and  pushed  him  into  the  hollow  between 
the  floor  and  the  ground.  She  had  scarcely  time  to 
replace  the  hibachi  and  assume  an  indifferent  air, 
when  the  assassins  broke  into  the  room,  demanding 
their  victim.  “Look  for  him;  he  is  not  here,”  she 


156  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

said  calmly;  and  although  they  dragged  her  about 
the  room  by  her  hair  and  tormented  her  in  every 
way,  she  revealed  nothing,  and  the  life  of  Ito  was 
saved. 

If  one  asks  these  monosyllabic  ladies  if  they  like 
their  receptions,  they  will  surely  answer  “no,”  but 
that  they  must  make  the  sacrifice  to  Europeanism, 
of  which  they  have  but  a confused  idea.  They  much 
prefer  to  sit  on  the  divans  with  their  feet  up,  rather 
than  on  the  chairs ; talk  and  gossip,  read  endless  Jap- 
anese novels,  listen  to  fairy  tales,  go  to  the  theatre, 
or  admire  some  wrestler.  Furukawa  says  that  act- 
ors and  wrestlers  frequently  play  the  role  of  Al- 
phonse to  the  gay  society  ladies.  While  at  these  re- 
ceptions she  must  speak  through  the  interpreter 
about  the  weather.  The  European  visitor  coming 
into  such  a drawing-room  makes  an  effort  to  say  a 
few  words,  and,  being  conscious  of  the  silence  of 
the  other  guests  (and  sometimes  there  are  many), 
presses  the  hand  of  the  hostess  and  departs;  the  visit 
is  made,  and  the  next  thing  is  an  invitation  that  the 
Marchioness,  the  Countess  or  Viscountess,  as  the 
case  may  be,  will  be  “at  home”  on  such  and  such  a 
day,  and  sometimes  in  one  corner  is  marked  “danc- 
ing,” and  perhaps  one  is  invited  to  a ball. 

But,  never  fear,  I will  not  describe  the  ball  at  the 
house  of  the  Marquis  Ito,  except  to  say  that  all 
Tokyo  haute  societe  was  there  with  the  Yokohama 
tiers  etat , and  during  the  ball  there  were  fireworks 
and  a transparency  with  the  words  in  English,  “The 
birthday  of  H.  M.  the  Emperor  of  Japan.” 

Let  us  go  to  the  Asakusa  palace  to  the  chrysan- 
themum fete,  by  invitation  of  the  Japanese  Emperor. 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  157 

As  it  is  a garden-party,  men  wear  frock-coats  and 
high  hats.  The  palace  is  built  in  Japanese  style, 
with  sliding  walls  and  matting  on  the  floor,  and  is 
situated  in  the  midst  of  a beautiful  park. 

All  these  hillocks,  bosquets,  bridges  leading  over 
brooks,  kiosques,  and  allees  are  alive  with  people. 
An  elegant  company,  the  diplomatic  corps  take  their 
places  according  to  rank,  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the 
Emperor. 

Now  are  heard  the  strains  of  the  Japanese  march, 
and  the  Emperor  appears  with  his  suite ; then  comes 
the  Empress  with  the  court  ladies.  The  Emperor 
approaches  each  foreign  minister,  shakes  his  hand, 
and  speaks  to  him  a few  words  in  Japanese;  the  min- 
ister, with  low  how,  makes  an  answer,  which  is 
translated.  This  is  all  done  in  such  a low  tone — al- 
most a whisper — that  the  nearest  bystander  can  hear 
nothing.  The  Empress  goes  through  the  same  form 
with  the  wives  of  the  ministers;  and  if  there  are  for- 
eigners of  distinction  they  are  now  presented  to  the 
Imperial  couple,  who  do  not,  however,  shake  hands 
with  them. 

The  Emperor  then  makes  a round  to  inspect  in  the 
hot-houses  the  great  variety  of  beautiful  chrysan- 
themums. On  one  stalk  there  are  sometimes  as 
many  as  three  hundred  flowers.  The  music  plays, 
hut  the  white,  scarlet,  yellow  and  lilac  asters  do  not 
hold  the  public  long.  “Trop  de  fleurs,”  grumbles 
some  one,  and  they  move  on  to  the  abundantly  sup- 
plied buffet,  laden  with  delicacies,  and  where  cham- 
pagne flows  like  water.  This  fete  takes  place  at 
four  o’clock,  when  everybody  has  already  break- 
fasted; hut  many  think,  “Why  let  slip  such  an  occa- 


158  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

sion  to  eat  at  the  expense  of  the  Mikado?”  In  the 
same  month — November — the  kiku  (chrysanthe- 
mums) are  feted  by  the  people.  There  is  an  expo- 
sition of  them  in  Dangosaka.  Figures  and  whole 
pictures  are  made  of  flowers,  many  of  them  being 
historical.  Let  us  have  a look  into  the  first  garden. 
There,  two  warriors  are  represented  in  the  forest  in 
the  winter.  Farther,  a historical  personage  confined 
in  prison,  while  outside  sits  his  mistress.  Then  a 
scene  in  the  house  of  some  daimio.  In  the  next  gar- 
den is  erected  a ship  of  flowers,  with  the  six  gods  of 
riches — Bishamon,  Hotei,  Yebisu,  Daikoku,  Fukro- 
kuso,  Jirodzin — and  the  goddess  Benten.  In  an- 
other garden,  Shisuka,  the  mistress  of  Yoshitsune,  is 
represented  as  dancing  before  Yoritomo  in  the  hope 
of  obtaining  permission  to  see  her  lover.  Crossing 
the  street  one  finds  the  following  scene : The  sister  of 
Batalia,  Kinosose,  was  married  to  Kanki.  Having 
to  go  to  fight  in  China,  the  brother  charged  his  sister 
to  influence  her  husband  to  give  him  aid  and  let  him 
know  the  result  by  throwing  into  the  river  white  or 
red  liquid.  Kinsose  was  not  successful,  and,  killing 
herself,  her  red  blood  dyed  the  sparkling  waters  of 
the  river.  There  are  many  other  historical  and 
genre  pictures  made  with  flowers,  and  the  mane- 
quins  of  asters  are  so  well  done  that  at  a certain  dis- 
tance they  appear  to  be  alive. 

New-year,  however,  is  the  fete  of  fetes  for  the 
Japanese,  and  the  congratulations  go  on  for  the  first 
"fifteen  days.  The  first  seven  days  are  called  “matsu 
muchi,”  or  week  of  pine  decorations.  In  olden 
times  New-year  celebrations  were  distinguished  by 
great  sumptuousness,  and  one  should  have  seen  how 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  159 

the  daimios,  surrounded  by  their  samurai,  went  to 
congratulate  the  Shogun.  Now,  under  the  influence 
of  European  civilization,  little  by  little  the  national 
customs  are  disappearing.  Every  province  cele- 
brated New-year  after  its  own  fashion,  and  a whole 
book  could  be  written  about  the  customs,  but  we  will 
mention  the  principal  features.  Already  in  Decem- 
ber begins  the  cleaning  of  the  houses.  Formerly  it 
began  with  a ceremony  at  court  on  the  13th  of  De- 
cember, on  which  day  bamboo  branches  with  fresh 
leaves  were  used  as  a symbol  of  prosperity  and  hap- 
piness. For  the  New-year  all  the  mattings  had  to  be 
changed,  so  that  the  guests  could  sit  on  clean  mat- 
tings. The  women  renewed  their  toilets,  and  in 
the  shops  there  was  an  exposition  of  wares.  On  the 
last  day  of  the  year  the  streets  were  brilliantly  il- 
luminated with  lanterns  (now  with  electric  lights). 
There  is  a custom  among  merchants  to  eat  long  ver- 
micelli, that  their  riches  should  last  long.  The 
house  is  decorated  with  straw-paper,  representing 
the  Chinese  ideographs,  or  lucky  numbers — 3,  5, 
and  7.  The  gates  are  decorated  with  branches  of 
pine,  as  bamboo  and  pine  are  symbols  of  longevity. 
In  every  house  rice  cakes  are  prepared  in  the  shape 
of  discs,  representing  the  mirror  with  which  they 
brought  back  the  Sun  Goddess.  The  cakes  are 
placed  on  an  unpainted  tray  on  legs,  and  are  deco- 
rated with  leaves,  sea  colewort,  branches  of  pine, 
orange,  and  lobster,  each  of  them  having  a symbolic 
meaning.  On  New-year  day  all  the  family  as- 
semble in  the  largest  room,  and  sit  around  on  the 
matting,  and  before  each  person  is  a low  table.  To 
begin  with,  toso,  or  cake  with  spices,  is  passed  to 


160  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

attain  immortality,  afterwards  zoni  is  offered  with 
rice  cakes  (mochi).  On  New-year  day  the  house  is 
not  swept,  and  this  is  the  only  day  that  shops  are 
closed.  The  youth  of  both  sexes  play  games  on  the 
street,  and  the  loser  pays  a forfeit.  The  evening 
is  spent  in  playing  cards  and  arranging  lotteries.  On 
the  third  day  work  begins  again,  and  all  the  young 
men  strive  to  paint  with  the  brush  handsome  charac- 
ters, and  the  young  girls  play  on  the  koto  and  the 
samisen  (musical  instruments).  On  the  2d  of  Jan- 
uary one  must  be  sure  to  have  a good  dream,  and  so 
a picture  of  a ship  with  treasures  is  placed  under  the 
makura  (Japanese  pillow).  The  15th  and  16th  of 
January  are  also  great  festivals  in  Japan,  as  that  is 
the  time  when  tortures  begin  in  hell,  and  the  shrine 
of  Enma  (god  of  hell)  has  good  receipts  from  sin- 
ners. On  this  day  apprentices  are  freed  from  their 
masters,  and  one  must  say  that  the  apprentices, 
bound  for  several  years,  are  wholly  slaves  of  their 
master,  and  only  on  the  15th  of  January  and  the 
1 6th  of  June  they  are  free.  On  this  day  the  streets 
are  full  of  life.  Prestidigitators,  tellers  of  fairy 
tales,  women  musicians,  and  fakirs  go  about  to 
cleanse  the  houses  from  wicked  spirits.  All  these 
customs  are  disappearing  with  time,  and  now  the 
Japanese  rush  about  like  mad  in  a jinriksha,  leaving 
their  cards  on  New-year  day,  and  this  literally,  as 
outside  the  door  is  a tray  where  the  visitor  places 
his  card,  without  molesting  his  friends  or  their  ser- 
vants. Others  follow  the  European  custom,  and 
give  a certain  sum  for  charity,  and  have  their  names 
in  the  paper,  or  send  their  cards  by  mail.  There 
are  many  curious  customs  in  Japan,  but  the  most 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


161 


original  is  the  cha-no-yu,  or  the  ceremony  of  drink- 
ing tea.  Japanese  consider  this  ceremony  as  almost 
a rite,  and  give  it  a particular  symbolic  and  ethical 
character.  The  eitquette  is  a complicated  one.  In 
substance  it  is  only  the  way  the  water  is  boiled  and 
the  quality  of  the  tea.  Some  say  that  there  is  a deep 
meaning  in  the  cha-no-yu  only  known  to  the  ini- 
tiated. The  thing  is  not  that  you  drink  the  tea,  but 
how  you  drink  it,  as  there  are  three  hundred  move- 
ments of  the  hand  in  preparing  the  tea.  The  Euro- 
peans consider  this  a childish  play,  or  a remnant  of 
past  ages,  when  tea  drinking  was  a rare  and  unusual 
luxury,  and  peaceful  tea  drinking  was  in  striking 
contrast  with  the  bloody  horrors  of  the  civil  wars. 
The  initiators  found  it  necessary  to  give  to  this  cere- 
mony a special  solemnity.  You  will  smile  when 
you  hear  that  the  followers  of  this  cha-no-yu  (tea  of 
hot  water)  are  divided  into  eight  separate  schools 
and  sects,  having  each,  like  the  masonic  orders,  mys- 
terious secrets.  The  architecture  of  the  houses 
where  these  cha-no-yu,  or  tea  meetings,  take  place  is 
distinguished  by  simplicity  and  elegance.  The  im- 
pression must  be  given  of  separation  from  the  world, 
and  of  solitude.  We  will  not  describe  the  shape  of 
the  room,  the  form  of  the  dishes,  utensils,  hibachi, 
and  the  cups.  The  invitations  are  sent  a week  be- 
fore. with  the  list  of  persons  invited,  and  at  the  head 
of  the  list  is  written  the  name  of  the  guest  of  honor. 
It  is  customary  for  the  guests  to  call  on  the  host  a 
day  before  the  tea  ceremony,  and  to  thank  him  for 
the  honor.  At  the  appointed  hour  (early  hours  are 
preferred)  the  guests  enter  the  drawing-room,  and 
then  the  garden,  which  is  arranged  in  a special  man- 


162  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

ner,  and  there  they  have  to  wash  their  mouths  and 
hands  in  a cistern,  after  which  they  crawl  into  the 
tea-room  through  a narrow  entrance.  As  they  enter 
the  tea-room  they  must  observe  with  admiration  the 
walls,  pictures,  the  flower  arrangements,  vase,  the 
furnace,  and  all  the  utensils  that  reveal  the  superb 
taste  and  artistic  mind  of  the  host  and  hostess. 
Sometimes  a dinner  is  served.  The  host  and  hostess 
must  do  everything  without  the  help  of  servants  or 
waiters,  although  the  master  or  mistress  may  be 
very  rich  and  of  a very  noble  family.  After  dinner 
is  over  the  host  brings  some  sweets  for  each  one  of 
the  guests  to  take  home,  and,  telling  them  to  take  a 
short  recess,  he  leaves  them.  The  guests  retire  into 
the  waiting-room.  The  host,  in  the  mean  time,  find- 
ing the  tea-room  vacant,  sweeps  the  floor  and 
changes  the  decoration  of  the  room.  The  guests 
are  then  invited  to  take  their  places  on  the  floor. 
The  host  brings  the  utensils  for  making  tea,  which 
are  fire-sticks,  feathers,  brush,  etc.  Saluting  the 
people,  he  takes  his  seat  near  the  fire-place,  and,  ar- 
ranging all  the  necessary  tea  sets  before  him,  he 
commences  to  serve  the  tea,  upon  which  the  guests 
must  praise  his  exquisite  manner  and  the  beautiful 
tea  instruments.  Taking  one  cup  the  host  puts  into 
it  a few  spoonfuls  of  fragrant  tea  powder,  and 
pours  upon  it  hot  water,  stirring  it  with  a bamboo 
stirrer;  then  he  hands  it  with  great  ceremony  to  the 
guest  of  honor,  who  must  take  a step  forward  and 
bend  his  knee  to  receive  the  cup.  The  guest  returns 
to  his  seat,  drinks  three  sips,  and  passes  his  cup  to 
his  neighbors,  who  do  the  same  until  the  cup  has 
made  the  round.  We  must  remark  that  complete 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  163 

silence  is  observed,  with  the  exception  of  answering 
the  host,  who  inquires  about  the  quality  of  tea,  or 
makes  other  observations  pertaining  to  the  ceremony. 

After  the  ceremony  the  guests  express  their  desire 
to  see  the  utensils,  and  examine  the  tea-cups,  spoons, 
jar,  trays,  etc. 

The  Usu  cha  is  then  served,  and  a cup  of  tea  is 
given  to  each  guest.  Here  all  form  and  ceremony 
are  laid  aside.  It  is  really  a social  gathering,  and 
gossiping  chatter  is  allowed. 

The  transition  may  seem  too  sudden  if  we  pass 
from  the  cha-no-yu  to  a fire,  but  this  calamity,  to- 
gether with  earthquakes,  tidal  waves,  and  typhoons 
are  very  frequent  in  Japan.  You  know  of  what 
light  material  are  constructed  the  Japanese  houses, 
and  you  can  easily  imagine  the  horror  of  a fire  where 
the  houses  are  crowded  together  as  in  a Japanese 
town.  At  one  time,  in  1872,  forty-two  streets  were 
burned  in  Tokyo,  and  in  1876  were  burned  13,464 
houses.  I witnessed  a Japanese  fire,  and  never  again 
wish  to  see  anything  so  terrible.  Thousands  of  peo- 
ple perish  if  a fire  happens  to  be  in  the  night.  At 
present  every  quarter  in  Tokyo  has  its  fire  brigade 
and  watch  tower;  nevertheless  the  confusion  during 
the  fire  is  beyond  description,  and  looting  is  carried 
on  to  a great  extent.  “To  be  burned  out,”  say  the 
Japanese,  “is  not  so  terrible  as  to  be  robbed  to  the 
last  stitch.”  The  military  force  is  sometimes  not 
strong  enough  to  put  down  this  disorder.  The 
buildings  are  pulled  to  pieces  as  if  by  magic,  and 
amidst  the  blazing  ruins  the  people  act  like  mad. 
There  runs  a Japanese  carrying  a screen,  which  he 
is  naturally  supposed  to  have  stolen,  and  the  police- 


164  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

man  gives  him  such  a blow  that  he  flies  one  way 
and  his  clogs  the  other.  On  the  roofs  the  priests 
exhort  and  strive  to  pacify  the  gods,  when  suddenly 
a cascade  of  water  bursts  over  them,  drenching  them 
from  head  to  foot.  The  public  laughs  in  spite  of  the 
horrors  of  the  situation.  The  Japanese  through 
whose  fault  the  fire  began  is  so  conscience-stricken 
that  he  makes  no  effort  to  save  his  things,  and  will 
be  the  last  to  reconstruct  his  house,  waiting  until  all 
his  neighbors  have  built  theirs.  The  Japanese  eti- 
quette demands  that  all  the  friends  rush  and  visit  the 
man  whose  house  is  burning,  and  if  his  house  has 
escaped  this  calamity  a visit  of  congratulation  from 
all  his  friends  is  equally  necessary. 


IN  NORTHERN  JAPAN 
Chapter  XVI 


Yusen  Kaisha  Company — Oginohama — Hakodate  Hospital — 
Russian  mission — Colonial  Ministry — Fisheries — Fencing — 
Wrestlers — Nanai  farm. 

I made  the  trip  to  Hakodate  on  one  of  the  boats  of 
the  Yusen  Kaisha,  which  receives  a subsidy  from  the 
government  and  lias  boats  plying  between  Shanghai 
and  Yokohama,  Nagasaki  and  Vladivostok,  Korea, 
China,  and  to  Manila. 

On  the  ship  there  were  several  Europeans  and  a 
crowd  of  Japanese,  who  conducted  themselves  alto- 
gether too  freely,  drinking  whisky  and  at  table 
smacking  their  lips  and  belching  loudly.  I must  say 
though  that  the  Japanese  of  the  old  school  is  polite 
and  refined,  and  if  he  is  by  nature  pretentious  and 
proud  he  hides  it  well,  only  displaying  his  refined 
good  manners.  This  is  not,  however,  the  case  with 
those  who  have  learned  to  drink  whisky  and  con- 
sider that  they  have  already  absorbed  European  civil- 
ization— they  take  on  coarse  and  vulgar  manners. 
When  one  comes  to  visit  you  he  puts  his  feet  on  the 
table  and  considers  himself  in  the  height  of  style.  I 
am  speaking  of  course  of  the  Japanese  of  the  new 
school  and  not  of  those  who  have  a certain  training 
and  a certain  position. 


166  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

We  stopped  for  a while  at  Oginohama.  The 
weather  was  beautiful  and  the  green  bay  lay  still  as 
a mirror,  the  sea  gulls  darted  hither  and  thither  with 
weird  cries,  and  a whole  chorus  of  frogs  were  croak- 
ing somewhere  in  the  vicinity,  presaging  good 
weather.  But  this  did  not  prove  a true  prophet,  for 
no  sooner  had  we  left  the  hospitable  bay  than  the  old 
boat,  formerly  belonging  to  the  P.  & O.  Company, 
began  to  creak  in  all  its  joints,  and  chairs  and  tables, 
as  if  moved  by  spirits,  began  playing  leap-frog,  and 
the  noise  of  the  storm  kept  the  passengers  awake. 
However,  with  morning  we  entered  a beautiful  bay 
filled  with  white  sails,  and  on  a cone-shaped  moun- 
tain, covered  with  vegetation,  the  town  of  Hakodate 
lay  spread  like  an  amphitheatre.  Upon  nearer  in- 
spection it  looked  like  a great  village  with  broad 
streets,  covered  with  grass,  and  poor,  forlorn 
wooden  houses,  with  their  roofs  held  down  by  huge 
stones,  used  as  a protection  against  storms.  On  the 
streets  is  no  life  and  even  the  kurumayas  look  sleepy. 
There  are  no  European  shops,  and  only  a limited 
supply  of  European  wares  can  be  found  in  the  Japa- 
nese shops.  Of  buildings  in  the  European  style  there 
are  a hospital  with  120  beds,  the  English  consulate 
with  a large  garden,  the  Catholic  Mission  with  a Ca- 
thedral and  buildings  for  the  missionaries  and  Sis- 
ters of  Charity,  the  American  Mission  with  houses 
for  the  missionaries,  the  Russian  Mission,  etc.  The 
public  offices  are  in  a Japanese  yashiki  and  there  also 
are  lodged  the  government  employees.  In  spite  of 
its  forlorn  and  neglected  air,  Hakodate,  according  to 
statistics,  is  growing,  not  daily,  but  hourly.  Not 
long  ago  it  was  a poor  village,  and  at  present  it  is 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  167 

the  first  town  on  the  Island  of  Yezo.  It  has  every 
reason  to  prosper,  for  if  it  has  no  interest  for  Euro- 
pean merchants,  for  the  Japanese  it  is  of  great  im- 
portance, as  the  best  port  of  Yezo  and  the  island  of 
Yezo  under  auspicious  circumstances  could  have 
long  ago  been  one  of  the  most  flourishing  provinces 
of  Japan.  The  soil  is  adapted  to  the  growing  of  in- 
digo, wheat,  Indian  corn,  and  all  the  grains.  There 
is  an  abundance  of  sulphur,  coal,  and  other  minerals, 
and  there  are  magnificent  ports  like  Hakodate  and 
Mororan;  great  quantities  of  fish  in  the  sea  and 
rivers,  and  untouched  virgin  forests.  These  are  a 
few  of  the  pledges  of  the  future  prosperity  of  the 
island. 

In  1871  the  Japanese  Government,  turning  its  at- 
tention to  this  far-off  island,  instituted  a Colonial 
Ministry  and  confided  to  it  the  government  of  Yezo, 
attaching  to  the  Kaitakushi  (colonial  government) 
in  the  role  of  adviser  the  American  General  Capron 
and  other  specialists,  who  may  have  been  very  intel- 
ligent, but  were  entirely  unacquainted  with  the 
country.  The  Colonial  Ministry  and  its  advisers 
thought  that  they  had  only  to  wish  and  this  desert 
and  uninhabited  island,  covered  with  inpenetrable 
forests,  would  change  into  an  El  Dorado  such  as  to 
arouse  the  envy  of  even  America. 

After  spending  18,000,000  on  all  sorts  of  experi- 
ments, which  turned  out  complete  failures,  the  Gov- 
ernment dismissed  the  American  advisers,  who,  re- 
ceiving decorations  and  generous  rewards,  returned 
to  their  country.  The  great  mistake  of  this  Colonial 
Ministry  was  that  they  were  carried  away  by  foreign 


168  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

methods  and  that  they  completely  forgot  the  condi- 
tions of  Japanese  life. 

“Upon  arrival  there,’’  says  General  Capron,  “I 
was  under  the  impression  that  Japan  was  suffering 
from  overpopulation,  but  on  closer  acquaintance  I 
saw  that  the  main  island,  Nippon,  could  support 
twice  its  number  of  inhabitants.”  I will  not  take 
upon  myself  to  decide  how  true  this  assertion  is  and 
only  say  that  in  the  northern  part  of  Nippon  are  great 
stretches  of  uncultivated  and  uninhabited  territory. 
But  it  is  also  interesting  to  know  that  the  Japanese, 
accustomed  to  the  culture  of  rice,  remove  with  great 
reluctance  to  a part  where  rice  does  not  grow,  and 
Yezo  is  not  a rice-producing  country.  Wheat  and 
other  grains  grow  easily,  however.  That  is  the  main 
reason  why  the  experiments  of  the  Kaitakushi  were 
a failure.  If  the  efforts  of  the  ministry  to  colonize 
the  country  were  not  brilliantly  successful,  still  there 
were  some  good  results.  For  instance,  in  1872  there 
was  not  a road  on  the  island,  and  even  the  footpaths 
were  not  very  comfortable,  but  now  there  are  several 
carriage-roads  and  railroads,  although  nothing  in 
comparison  with  the  sums  spent  on  them. 

The  great  wealth  of  the  island  is  not  gold,  nor 
coal,  of  which  we  will  speak  in  the  proper  place,  but 
fish  and  sea  colewort,  exported  to  Japan  and  China. 
General  Capron  remarks  very  justly  that  the  in- 
habitants of  Yezo  do  not  know  how  to  profit  by  this 
wealth.  The  fish  are  prepared  according  to  the  de- 
mand of  the  Japanese  and  Chinese  markets  and  the 
Japanese  realize  only  one-half  of  what  they  would 
if  the  fish  were  prepared  for  export  to  Europe  and 
America.  In  this  case  custom  was  stronger  than  the 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  169 

advice  of  the  practical  American,  and  the  great  part 
of  the  catch  goes  as  of  old  to  the  preparation  of  fish 
fertilizer,  which  is  exported  to  southern  Japan  to 
be  used  as  fertilizer  on  the  rice  fields. 

This  fish  fertilizer  is  made  of  herrings,  which 
are  caught  in  great  quantities  on  the  western  shore 
of  Yezo,  from  the  beginning  of  April  to  the  end  of 
May.  They  are  caught  in  bags  which  are  sunk  to  a 
depth  of  forty  feet,  and  fastened  to  a boat  or  to  a 
raft.  When  the  bag  is  full  the  fisher  closes  it  and 
removes  it  by  the  aid  of  ropes.  Great  difficulty  pre- 
sents itself  in  emptying  these  bags,  especially  in 
stormy  weather,  when  quantities  of  the  fish  are  lost. 
The  fish  in  spawning  season,  which  is  three  times  a 
year,  mistakes  the  network  of  the  bags  for  sea  cole- 
wort,  as  according  to  fishermen  the  fish  are  quite 
blind  and  do  not  know  what  they  do.  Sometimes  it 
happens  that  they  come  in  shoals  into  the  bay  of 
Otarunai,  so  that  the  whole  population,  even  the 
children,  catch  them  with  hand  nets  or  wooden 
basins.  Generally,  though,  for  the  spawning,  they 
seek  deep  places  near  rocks,  and  for  this  reason  you 
will  see  fishing  villages  on  rocky  coasts  and  never  a 
hut  on  the  smooth  sea  beach.  When  the  catch  is 
brought  in  the  large  fish  are  slit  from  head  to  tail 
and  hung  up  to  dry,  and  the  rest  are  used  for  the  prep- 
aration of  fertilizer.  They  are  boiled  in  great  kettles 
(three  and  a half  feet  in  diameter  and  two  feet  high) 
and  the  fat  is  skimmed  off  and  saved  for  illuminat- 
ing purposes,  after  which  the  whole  mass  is  pressed 
and  then  broken  up  and  spread  on  a matting  to  dry. 
The  value  of  it  depends  upon  the  dryness  of  the 
season.  It  is  packed  in  straw  bags  and  is  worth  $42 


170  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

a ton,  and  a hundred  thousand  tons  are  exported  to 
Japan.  Hakodate  alone  exports  several  millions 
worth  of  sea  products,  and  this  trade  in  always  in- 
creasing. 

On  the  29th  of  June  there  is  in  Hakodate  a cele- 
bration in  honor  of  warriors  who  have  fallen  on  the 
field  of  battle.  Although  this  is  in  reality  not  a fes- 
tival, but  a memorial  of  sad  events,  still  the  crowds 
which  throng  the  streets  rejoice  with  all  their  hearts, 
laugh,  joke,  and  enjoy  everything  to  the  utmost.  All 
sorts  of  Japanese  sweets  are  displayed,  and  trade  goes 
on  briskly.  The  slopes  of  the  mountain  are  dotted 
with  children,  and  even  the  smaller  ones,  on  the 
backs  of  their  mothers  and  sisters,  are  present.  There 
are  theatrical  representations,  but  the  public  prefers 
to  watch  two  policemen  fencing.  Of  course  they  do 
not  fence  as  we  do  in  Europe.  They  have  swords, 
or  for  safety  bamboo  sticks,  which  they  clutch  Japa- 
nese fashion  with  both  hands.  A stroke  on  the 
crown  of  the  head,  on  the  chest  or  side,  counts. 
Three  victorious  strokes  take  the  prize.  There  are 
always  two  assistants,  old  fencing  masters.  The  fen- 
cers, according  to  the  Japanese  custom,  rush  at  each 
other  with  shrieks,  and  taunting  each  other,  are  so 
carried  away  that  they  throw  down  their  arms — 
happily  only  bamboo — and  engage  each  other  in  a 
hand-to-hand  fight  and  even  try  to  strangle  each 
other.  The  Japanese  public  loves  this  sport  and  ap- 
proves every  good  stroke  with  loud  cries. 

In  another  place  the  crowd  goes  to  see  the  wrest- 
lers. Two  stout,  naked  men,  with  only  a loin  cloth, 
are  walking  about  on  an  elevated  place  covered  with 
loose  earth.  Their  massive  forms  and  the  old  Japa- 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  17 1 

nese  coiffure  shows  that  they  are  wrestlers.  Near  by 
stands  the  umpire,  with  a fan.  In  a nasal  tone  he 
calls  the  names  of  the  wrestlers  and  they  are  ready 
for  the  fight.  They  begin  by  taking  a pinch  of  salt 
for  good  luck,  then  rub  their  feet  and  hands  with 
earth  and  squat  on  their  heels  opposite  each  other. 
Suddenly,  with  cries,  they  spring  at  each  other,  but 
this  is  only  a prelude;  they  again  take  a pinch  of 
salt  and  once  more  squat  on  their  heels,  rubbing  their 
hands  and  trying  the  strength  of  their  arms.  Now 
they  are  ready  for  the  real  fight.  The  time  I saw 
them  they  were  of  equal  strength  and  the  struggle 
lasted  long.  Finally  the  umpire  separated  them  and 
stood  in  their  place,  while  the  wrestlers  went  and 
rinsed  their  mouths.  Squatting  on  their  knees  they 
began  again.  The  public  meanwhile  shrieked, 
squealed,  and  clapped  their  hands,  and  the  organizers 
urged  on  the  combatants,  and  purses,  belts  and  other 
articles  were  thrown  on  the  wrestling-ground — all 
these  objects  to  belong  to  the  victor. 

A second  time  the  wrestlers  could  not  displace 
each  other  from  the  elevation,  for  that  is  the  aim  of 
the  struggle.  When  the  wrestlers  had  departed  and 
new  names  were  called,  out  came  a man  from  among 
the  spectators  and  demanded  with  cries  and  gestures 
that  the  fight  be  continued,  as  there  was  a bet  which 
could  not  be  settled.  The  public  howled  and  ap- 
plauded, and  the  wrestlers,  seeing  the  insistence  of 
the  public,  came  in  the  arena.  Our  bawler  bowed 
to  the  earth  and  jumped  and  whirled  about  for  joy. 
Finally  they  were  again  in  position,  and  after  a long 
struggle  one  was  thrown  from  the  elevation.  The 
enthusiasm  of  the  public  is  indescribable.  The  win- 


172  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

ner  of  the  bet  was  beside  himself  with  joy,  and  em- 
bracing the  victor  took  him  off  to  treat  him.  Dur- 
ing the  entr’actes  the  wrestlers  came  to  our  place, 
where  all  the  noted  people  of  Hakodate  were  seated, 
and  made  a low  bow.  They  were  all  clean  and  shin- 
ing after  a bath,  having  made  their  toilets  near 
where  we  sat.  Women  were  serving  them  and  they 
quite  unconsciously  moved  about  stark  naked.  At  a 
cry  of  the  herald  a whole  procession  of  wrestlers 
marched  around  the  arena.  Each  had  on,  besides  a 
loin  cloth,  an  embroidered  gold  apron  worth  from 
$200  to  $700.  This  ended  the  match. 

In  July  I made  a trip  to  the  north  of  the  island, 
and  the  first  point  of  interest  was  the  Nanai  model 
farm,  arranged  by  the  Colonial  Ministry.  Its  ob- 
ject was  to  entirely  revolutionize  the  Japanese  and 
inoculate  them  with  new  tastes  and  new  wants,  and 
introduce  into  the  country  new  grains  and  vegeta- 
bles. Instead  of  rice  they  should  eat  white  bread 
and  drink  milk,  which  even  to  the  present  day  they 
never  do.  In  the  very  beginning  General  Capron 
complains  that  they  will  not  follow  his  advice  and 
that  great  sums  of  money  are  spent  uselessly.  The 
Government  at  first  gave  $50,000  a year  to  run  it, 
but  at  the  present  time  gives  only  $8,000,  and  the 
farm  is  going  to  ruin.  For  instance,  in  the  horse- 
raising department  they  bought  race-horses,  which 
are  of  no  use  to  the  peasants.  They  showed  me 
some  Arabian  steeds  which  were  from  Tonquin,  and 
these  were  nothing  extraordinary.  The  horned  cat- 
tle brought  at  great  expense  from  America  are  a 
useless  luxury,  as  the  peasants  do  not  want  cows, 
finding  them  entirely  useless  in  farming;  they  do  not 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  173 

drink  milk,  and  enrich  their  fields  with  fish  fertili- 
zer, and  as  for  a beast  of  burden,  with  the  cheapness 
of  labor  it  is  more  profitable  to  use  men. 

Sheep  (merinos)  were  brought  from  abroad,  and 
one  bright  morning  they  were  sold  for  meat,  and  a 
pasture  of  2,000  acres  was  given  for  a song  to  one 
of  the  bosses.  Cows  bought  for  $200  to  $300  were 
disposed  of  to  the  same  person  for  $40  a head.  The 
vineyards,  which  had  been  planted  with  such  great 
difficulty,  on  great  stretches  of  land  were  destroyed, 
but  what  is  left  gives  a great  harvest,  which  is  eaten 
up  by  the  employees  and  their  acquaintances.  The 
success  of  the  model  farm  is  very  limited,  though 
optimists  are  of  the  opinion  that  many  seeds  have 
been  distributed,  but  of  the  results  they  speak  not. 
We  can  assert  without  mistake  that  the  culture  of 
foreign  berries,  vegetables,  and  grains  are  accepted 
by  the  Japanese  with  great  difficulty.  In  spite  of  the 
close  vicinity  of  the  model  farm  to  Hakodate,  only 
the  Japanese  vegetables  are  sold  there.  The  Japa- 
nese in  this  respect  are  very  conservative  and  eat 
only  what  they  have  been  accustomed  to  for  ages. 
European  vegetables  are  only  found  in  the  gardens 
of  foreigners;  and  in  Yokohama,  only  where  the 
Japanese  see  the  great  demand  for  them,  will  they 
turn  their  attention  to  the  culture  of  foreign  vegeta- 
bles. For  one  tiling  we  can  thank  the  model  farm, 
and  that  is  the  delicious  juicy  fruits  which  cannot  be 
found  elsewhere  in  Japan.  If  we  forget  the  cost  of 
the  farm  we  can  enjoy  the  beautiful  trees  and  its 
pleasant  aspect,  which  reminds  one  of  Europe. 

From  Nanai  the  road  climbs  up  the  mountain  and 
the  driver  stops  and  wets  the  mouths  of  the  horses. 


174 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


Here  they  rarely  allow  the  animals  to  drink  and  only 
splash  them  with  water. 

The  spot  is  a dream  of  beauty ; everywhere  the  eye 
rests  on  forests,  ravines,  and  brooks ; the  air  is  clear 
and  invigorating,  and  the  coloring  of  the  blue  sea 
reminds  one  of  the  Adriatic. 

Finally  we  reach  the  highest  point,  and  a wonder- 
ful panorama  is  before  us,  in  the  midst  of  which, 
rosy  in  the  rays  of  the  setting  sun,  rises  the  volcano 
Kamogatake,  while  the  crests  of  the  mountains  are 
already  tinged  with  purple.  Lake  Ylu  lies  white  and 
still  in  its  shroud  of  lilies  and  a small  temple  stands 
guard  on  the  island. 


Chapter  XVII 


Mori — Mororan — The  daimio  of  Sendai  and  his  samurai — 
Soldiers’  settlements — Ainu — Their  home  life — Japanese 
Chicago — A ceremonious  Japanese  dinner — Porunai  mines 
and  a penitentiary  colony — As  guest  in  a Japanese  house. 

The  road  to  Mori  was  very  bad,  with  hollows  and 
gulleys  at  every  step  as  we  descended  to  Volcano 
Bay.  To  our  right  rose  the  bare  and  rocky  cone  of 
the  volcano.  My  interpreter  was  quite  enthusiastic 
about  the  scenery.  “Quite  like  Siberia,”  he  said. 
“The  same  way  of  cultivating  the  fields;  burning  the 
forests ; the  same  vegetation,  telegas,  and  riders.” 

In  Mori — miserable  little  village! — we  found  the 
small  boat  ready  to  depart.  All  looked  smiling,  the 
weather  was  beautiful  and  the  volcano  with  its  red- 
dish lava  stood  out  pink  and  bright  against  the  blue 
sky.  We  had  not  gone  far  before  we  ran  into  a fog, 
followed  by  a cold  wind ; the  waves  rose  so  high  that 
we  had  to  seek  shelter  in  the  hold,  the  only  place  we 
could  hide  ourselves  in  from  the  storm.  The  cap- 
tain remained  alone  on  the  bridge.  We  breathed  a 
sigh  of  relief  when  we  arrived  in  Mororan,  a hos- 
pitable little  village,  with  only  one  street,  where  the 
inhabitants  make  drawings  of  a very  primitive  char- 
acter on  shells. 

The  following  day  we  continued  our  journey  in 
a sail-boat  to  Mombetsu,  and  with  us  went  a col- 
onist and  several  Buddha  monks.  The  colonist  talk- 


176  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

ed  continually  about  his  property  and  the  monk  read 
a book  diligently.  Running  before  the  wind  we 
reached  Mororan  in  two  hours.  Over  the  few 
houses  that  composed  old  Mororan  rises  the  volcano 
Usu,  standing  just  opposite  the  Komogatake.  In 
Mombetsu  I was  met  by  the  chief  of  the  district,  a 
very  nice  man,  who  had  been  to  Europe  and  spoke 
three  languages. 

Mombetsu  is  now  the  residence  of  the  Sendai 
daimio,  who  was  defeated  in  1868  by  the  Imperial 
army.  He  retired  to  Mombetsu  with  all  his  samu- 
rai, who  changed  their  arms  for  the  ploughshare 
and  appear  very  contented.  The  Colonial  Ministry 
erected  a beet-root  sugar  factory  in  Mombetsu, 
which  cost  a great  sum  of  money  and  gave  nothing 
in  return.  It  has  been  disposed  of  to  private  persons 
under  very  good  conditions — to  the  private  persons 
certainly.  My  new  official  acquaintance  invited  me 
to  go  on  horseback  to  have  a look  at  the  surround- 
ings. The  nearer  fields  are  covered  with  beets; 
farther  on  Indian  corn  is  growing,  together  with 
indigo,  and  other  gramineus  plants,  and  still 
farther  on  rises  the  primeval  forest  with  giant  trees, 
wild  mulberry,  and  the  twining,  climbing  wild  grape. 
In  the  hottest  weather  it  is  cool  in  this  forest,  and 
the  silence  is  intense,  unbroken  by  the  song  of  a sin- 
gle bird.  The  mass  of  climbing  plants,  covering  all 
the  trees  with  an  impenetrable  net-work  of  succulent 
brilliant  green,  reminds  one  of  the  tropics.  Of  these 
climbers  the  wild  grape  predominates.  Running  up 
to  the  top  of  the  trees  it  springs  over  to  the  next  one, 
and  making  another  vault  winds  its  delicate  green 
about  a dead  tree,  then  swings  out  in  every  direction, 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  177 

clasping  all  things  in  its  chain-like  embrace — in  fact, 
seems  not  to  know  how  to  spend  its  energy.  The 
most  beautiful  of  these  vines  is  the  hortensia,  with 
its  cascades  of  white  flowers  dangling  from  the  high- 
est trees. 

In  the  evening  a French  missionary  visited  me, 
and  he  was  interesting  as  the  typical  representative 
of  the  Catholic  missionaries  in  the  Far  East.  Gener- 
ally speaking  the  Catholic  missionaries  are  real  fanat- 
ics in  their  cause,  and  it  is  only  this  fanaticism  which 
makes  bearable  the  hardships  they  endure.  In  com- 
parison the  English  and  American  missionaries  have 
every  comfort.  These  latter  live  in  good  houses, 
with  large  gardens,  and  receive  excellent  compensa- 
tion (from  $125  to  $200  a month).  The  Catholic 
missionaries  receive  for  food  and  clothing  only  $12 
a month,  and  live  like  a Japanese,  on  rice;  and  as 
for  comfort,  what  can  one  expect  with  such  small 
means?  But  this  is  not  their  aim.  They  move 
about,  going  from  one  place  to  another;  know  the 
Japanese  language  well,  and  study  the  country,  and 
wherever  it  is  possible,  spread  their  religion.  Many 
of  these  missionaries  give  their  whole  private  for- 
tunes to  the  propaganda  and  bear  equal  hardships 
with  their  comrades.  The  missionary  of  whom  I 
speak  was  even  more  energetic  and  active  than  the 
majority.  He  was  a good  botanist,  and  making  col- 
lections of  plants  sold  them  to  different  scientific 
societies,  and  with  the  money  he  received  built  a 
church  in  an  out  of  the  way  place.  But  one  had  to 
avoid  religious  discussions  or  fight  to  the  knife — he 
would  not  admit  that  there  was  anything  outside  of 
Catholicism.  If  one  keeps  off  religious  subjects  he 


178  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

is  a very  agreeable  and  clever  companion,  and  what 
is  more  he  knows  the  country  as  well  as  his  five 
fingers.  He  told  me  that  the  colonists  reminded  him 
“ toute  proportion  gardee”  of  Americans,  by  their 
broad  ideas,  so  different  from  the  inhabitants  of  the 
interior  of  Japan.  As  they  were  for  the  most  part 
samurai,  so  they  were  on  a higher  level  than  the 
most  of  the  Japanese.  In  the  other  parts  of  Japan 
the  people  are  poverty-stricken,  while  here  they  have 
more  elbow  room,  as  much  land  as  they  want,  and 
their  habits  and  customs  are  freer. 

On  the  road  from  Mororan  one  passes  the  village 
of  Shiribetz,  with  pretty,  regular  houses,  new  and 
neat  as  pins,  which  belong  to  the  military  settlers,  or 
Cossacks,  as  Iwai  San  called  them. 

Not  long  ago  the  emigration  to  Yezo  went  on 
without  order  and  system.  First  came  speculators, 
who  counted  on  obtaining  large  profits  by  buying 
great  tracts  of  land  and  selling  them  at  high  prices. 
With  them  came  masses  of  people  without  a copper, 
who  had  to  be  returned  to  their  former  homes.  Now 
the  government  has  divided  all  the  emigrants  into 
three  categories — colonists,  samurai,  and  military 
settlers. 

The  first  category  receives  a subsidy  of  $20  ($10 
for  building  a house,  $8  for  agricultural  implements, 
and  $1  for  seeds).  For  the  most  part  these,  not 
knowing  anything  about  agriculture  and  hearing 
that  in  Yezo  the  wages  are  higher  than  in  other  parts 
of  Japan,  dispersed  themselves  in  towns  or  found 
occupation  in  fisheries,  which  as  we  have  seen  fur- 
nish very  profitable  employment. 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  179 

The  samurai  received  for  each  family,  on  the 
right  of  possession,  10,000  tsubo  (a  tsubo  is  six 
square  feet),  and  they  could  buy  1,000  tsubo  as 
property  at  a dollar  a tsubo.  Besides  this  they  re- 
ceived $313,  which  could  be  paid  back  in  twenty 
years ; but  they  were  obliged,  during  a period  of  three 
years,  to  clear  and  work  3.000  tsubo,  and  in  case  of 
non-compliance  they  forfeited  their  land.  Thus  one 
hundred  and  five  families  settled,  taking  327,000 
tsubos.  I saw  one  of  these  samurai  colonies,  and 
they  seemed  prosperous,  many  of  them  receiving 
good  profit  from  the  culture  of  indigo.  Fearing 
that  Russia  would  invade  Yezo,  the  Japanese  Gov- 
ernment endeavored  to  form  something  like  the 
Cossack  settlements.  The  settlers  were  called  to 
military  exercises  in  April  and  December;  the  rest 
of  the  time  they  could  be  agriculturists. 

Every  warrior  received  17  tsubo  for  his  house  and 
5,000  for  cultivation.  The  government  provides  for 
the  traveling  expenses  and  the  building  of  the 
houses.  Besides  the  salary,  according  to  rank,  he 
receives  for  three  years  a certain  sum  for  salt  and 
vegetables.  He  is  freed  from  taxes,  and  formerly 
each  family  received  a block  sum  of  $611,  but  now 
it  is  only  $484.  In  case  of  the  death  of  the  settler 
the  family  is  cared  for  by  the  government.  In 
Hakodate  the  military  settlers  are  occupied  in  rope 
making  and  those  in  Sapporo  in  silk  culture.  As  I 
said,  these  Japanese  Cossacks  seem  very  prosperous, 
and  they  only  fear  that  the  government  pay  will  be 
stopped. 

Horobetz  is  a big  Aino  village,  and  there  lives  the 
missionary  Batchelor,  giving  all  his  energy  to  the 


180  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

study  of  this  interesting  people.  He  has  published 
an  Aino  dictionary  and  grammar  and  collected  their 
folk-lore,  and  living  many  years  among  them  knows 
them  very  well.  There  is,  however,  no  lack  of  books 
about  the  Ainos,  as  there  are  as  many  as  465  titles, 
and  there  are  many  Russian  names  among  them. 
Ainos  themselves  have  no  alphabet  nor  literature. 
They  say  that  their  hero,  Yosisune,  who  taught 
them  agriculture,  boat-building  and  bow-making, 
took  away  all  their  books  and  papers.  They  are  not 
very  numerous  (17,062),  and  statistics  cannot  yet 
decide  whether  they  are  dying  out  or  not.  Many 
Japanese  take  the  Aino  women  for  wives ; but  never 
an  Aino  will  take  a Japanese  woman,  who  despises 
an  Aino.  The  Aino  woman,  on  the  contrary,  con- 
siders it  an  honor  to  be  united  in  marriage  to  a Japa- 
nese. The  children  of  these  unions  are  very  weakly, 
and  generally  consumptive.  The  relations  between 
the  Japanese  and  the  Aino  cannot  be  called  friendly. 
Japanese  look  upon  them  with  contempt  and  con- 
sider that  they  sprang  from  the  union  of  a dog  and 
woman.  The  Ainos  also  keep  aloof  from  the  Japa- 
nese. In  regard  to  their  outward  appearance,  the 
Ainos  are  handsomer  and  taller  than  the  Japanese, 
with  large  brown  eyes,  short  and  broad  noses,  and 
with  a facial  angle  of  70  degrees.  The  principal 
peculiarity  of  the  Aino  is  that  they  have  large,  heavy 
beards,  and  in  fact  their  skin  is  covered  with  hair. 
They  are  whiter  than  the  Japanese,  although  it  is  dif- 
ficult to  discern  their  color,  as  they  do  not  wash. 
The  women  disfigure  themselves  by  tattooing  their 
upper  lips,  forehead,  and  hands;  but  the  girls  who 
have  not  been  tattooed  are  veiy  pretty.  The  Ainos 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  181 

do  not  resemble  the  Mongols;  rather,  as  says  Sie- 
bold,  they  resemble  Europeans  living  under  bad  cir- 
cumstances. All  those  who  have  lived  among  the 
Ainos  have  the  same  impression,  that  they  are  a 
very  sympathetic  people,  courteous,  even  tempered, 
calm  and  dignified.  One  can  believe  that  one  is 
dealing  with  people  with  good  bringing  up.  Isa- 
bella Bird,  who  has  lived  some  time  among  them,  de- 
scribes them  with  great  praise,  finding  that  they 
have  many  European  traits  of  character.  These  wild 
children  of  nature  respect  old  age,  are  kind-hearted, 
and  thoughtful  for  the  sick  and  poor.  Murder  and 
theft  are  unknown  among  them.  The  mothers  love 
their  children  tenderly  and  never  beat  them,  and 
they  are  modest  and  well  behaved.  They  are  hospi- 
table and  never  take  advantage  of  strangers,  as  do 
the  Japanese.  Willingly  they  propose  their  services, 
dividing  with  you  what  they  have,  and  refusing  pay, 
saying  it  would  displease  the  Great  Spirit.  The 
costume  of  the  Aino  is  prepared  from  the  bark  of 
trees,  which  is  soaked  in  water  several  days  and  cut 
in  finest  strips,  and  these  they  weave  on  a most 
primitive  loom.  The  border,  sleeves,  and  back  are 
decorated  with  embroideries.  It  is  interesting  to 
note  that  the  Ainos  lap  their  garment,  not  like  the 
Asiatics  from  right  to  left,  but  like  the  Europeans, 
from  left  to  right.  They  wear  a leather  garment 
which  is  very  much  like  the  Russian  shirt.  Every 
Aino  carries  in  his  belt  a knife,  a tobacco-pouch 
made  of  bear  skin  or  bark,  his  pipe,  flint,  steel,  and 
tinder.  They  go  barefoot  in  the  summer  and  in  the 
winter  put  on  foot-gear;  the  children,  until  13  or  14 
years  of  age,  run  naked.  The  children,  as  well  as  old 


182  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

people,  wear  earrings,  and  the  women  are  fond  of 
beads  and  bracelets.  Every  traveler  speaks  of  the 
dirt  of  the  Ainos.  They  not  only  never  wash  them- 
selves, but  never  clean  their  clothes,  and  so  have  a 
most  unpleasant  odor.  Their  houses  are  constructed 
in  the  most  primitive  manner,  without  chimneys, 
and  are  always  filled  with  smoke,  which  has  an  es- 
cape hole  in  the  wall.  Their  utensils  are  not  rich, 
consisting  only  of  wooden  bowls  and  cups.  When 
they  eat  they  hold  their  moustaches  out  of  the  way 
with  a stick.  Like  the  Japanese,  they  use  chopsticks 
and  spoons;  and  like  them  they  sit  on  the  floor  on 
two  sorts  of  matting.  Their  beds  are  eighteen  inches 
above  the  floor,  made  of  wooden  planks  covered 
with  deer  and  bear  skins.  On  a slight  elevation  near 
the  place  of  honor,  where  sits  the  master  of  the 
house,  are  hidden  the  treasures,  consisting  of  silk 
materials  and  valuable  arms,  which  are  all  kept  in 
lacquered  boxes.  During  my  visits  to  the  Ainos  I 
tried  to  persuade  them  to  sell  me  some  of  their 
things,  but  they  would  not  hear  of  it,  saying  they 
were  heirlooms  and  that  it  was  not  proper  to  sell 
them.  The  existence  of  such  treasures  is  certainly 
not  in  harmony  with  the  interior  of  these  Aino 
dwellings,  which,  being  dirty,  full  of  smoke,  and 
alive  with  insects,  are  not  attractive.  For  lighting 
purposes  they  use  splints  of  wood  and  sometimes 
fish  oil.  The  walls  of  the  dwellings  are  decorated 
with  the  trophies  of  the  hunt,  bear  skulls,  fishing 
tackle,  winnowing  fans,  sea  colewort,  spinning- 
wheels,  and  bows  with  poisoned  arrows  (they  poison 
them  with  aconite,  mith,  spider  and  tobacco  juice). 
They  have  gardens  with  tobacco,  Indian  corn,  buck- 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  183 

wheat,  etc.  In  the  garden  is  the  store-house  for 
provisions  and  furs,  built  on  piles  six  to  eight  feet 
high  for  protection  against  animals.  The  Ainos  are 
good  huntsmen.  They  hunt  bears  in  the  following 
manner:  Tracking  a bear  to  his  den  they  place 
wooden  beams  across  the  hole  and  then  make  a deaf- 
ening noise,  and  when  the  bear  tries  to  get  out  under 
the  beams  it  is  shot  with  poisoned  arrows.  The 
Ainos  always  prefer  the  arrow  to  the  gun,  and  they 
like  the  Japanese  sword. 

Traveling  in  this  part  of  the  country  one  must  get 
accustomed  to  do  without  bread,  milk  and  meat ; but 
on  the  other  hand,  if  you  are  used  to  Japanese  cook- 
ing  you  can  fare  very  well.  In  the  inns  the  cleanli- 
ness is  extraordinary,  and  they  will  give  you  a good 
futon,  or  wadded  quilt,  with  a huge  mosquito  net- 
ting (kaya)  which  takes  up  the  whole  room.  From 
the  point  of  view  of  cleanliness  the  poorest  Japanese 
inn  is  better  than  a third-class  European  hotel;  but 
the  European  must  put  up  with  such  inconvenien- 
ces as  being  offered  sweet  cakes  and  tea  when  he  is 
hungry,  and  he  must  wait  long  and  patiently  for  his 
dinner,  as  they  will  not  prepare  anything  out  of 
hours,  no  matter  what  argument  is  used.  His  shoes 
will  also  be  taken  from  him,  and  he  will  be  forced  to 
walk  in  stocking-feet. 

From  Shiraoi  to  Chitose  there  is  marshland  and 
sand ; moss  grows  on  the  marshes  and  now  and  then 
a distorted  tree.  At  times  it  seems  to  me  that  I am 
not  in  Japan,  but  traveling  through  the  marshy  dis- 
trict of  the  government  of  Novgorod.  The  road 
from  Chitose  grows  prettier,  mountains  and  woods 
appear.  In  Shimamatz  a carriage  was  awaiting  us, 


184  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

sent  by  the  Governor  of  Sapporo.  We  found  it  com- 
fortable, the  rolling  landscape  beautiful,  and  every- 
where the  silence  of  the  aromatic  forest.  It  would 
seem  to  be  perfection,  but  as  we  entered  this  en- 
chanted forest  there  fell  upon  us  clouds  of  flies  and 
horse-flies,  and  we  could  only  exist  by  vigorous  fan- 
ning and  smoking.  The  plight  of  the  horses  was 
indescribable,  for  they  were  covered  from  head  to 
foot,  and  wild  with  pain  they  tried  to  break  loose 
from  the  shafts. 

The  town  of  Sapporo,  at  the  foot  of  high  and 
wooded  mountains,  has  broad  streets,  but  with  the 
exception  of  public  buildings  all  the  houses  are 
small,  or  rather  they  are  simply  boards  put  together. 
And  this  they  call  Japanese  Chicago ! The  Japanese, 
creating  the  capital  of  Yezo  (Hokkaido)  there, 
where  fifteen  years  ago  stood  an  impenetrable  forest, 
made  a great  mistake.  All  the  money  which  was 
spent  on  Sapporo  would  have  given  much  better  re- 
sults had  it  been  invested  in  Hakodate,  which  has  a 
larger  population  and  is  more  important  on  account 
of  its  geographical  position  on  the  sea,  and  it  is  the 
chief  commercial  center  of  Yezo.  But  the  Japanese 
do  not  like  such  criticism,  and  therefore  let  us  take 
a look  at  Sapporo. 

The  best  and  prettiest  building  is  the  European 
Hotel,  the  only  one  on  the  island,  and  let  us  examine 
it  closely.  It  is  a two-storied  building,  with  a circu- 
lar porch  and  columns  and  surrounded  by  a beautiful 
garden,  with  brooks,  bridges,  islands,  and  artificial 
rocks.  The  government  constructed  this  in  a hurry, 
for  a visit  of  the  Emperor,  afterwards  leasing  it  to  a 
private  individual.  There  is  a dining-room,  a bil- 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  185 

liard-room,  and  seven  bed-rooms.  They  are  large 
and  high,  for  excepting  the  bed  there  is  no  furniture, 
and  the  service  is  beneath  criticism.  On  the  top 
floor  there  is  a luxurious  apartment  reserved  for 
guests  of  distinction. 

The  public  building,  with  its  dome,  is  on  the 
model  of  the  Washington  Capitol.  The  Governor, 
Iwamura,  invited  me  to  a Japanese  dinner.  The 
house  where  this  feast  was  offered  is  in  the  midst  of 
a park.  When  we  took  off  our  foot-gear  we  were 
led  to  a large  room  without  furniture.  The  mat- 
ting was  covered  with  great  carpets  and  pillows 
were  placed  in  certain  order.  The  guest  of  honor 
is  seated  in  the  center  at  the  end  of  the  room,  the 
others  are  placed  according  to  rank,  the  master  of 
the  house  always  taking  the  last  place  near  the  door. 
We  had  hardly  seated  ourselves  when  before  each 
guest  appeared  a mousme  (girl)  in  a pretty  colored 
kimono  with  a bright  sash  (obi).  They  all  knelt 
and  placed  before  each  guest  a cup  of  green  tea  with 
cakes  and  Japanese  sweets;  following  this  they 
brought  lacquered  trays  upon  which  were  lacquered 
bowls  with  Japanese  dishes.  But  the  guests  who  were 
acquainted  with  Japanese  customs  touched  nothing 
until  the  master  of  the  house  showed  the  example. 
Generally  he  begins  by  making  a short  speech,  in 
which  he  speaks  contemptuously  of  his  dinner,  ex- 
cusing himself  for  giving  to  his  guests  such  rotten 
and  bad  things  to  eat;  but  that  he  hopes  that  his 
guests  will  be  indulgent  and  condescend  to  take 
with  him  sake,  which  will  take  away  the  bad  taste 
of  the  dinner.  This  ceremony  finished,  everybody 
begins  to  dine,  or,  more  exactly,  to  drink.  There 


186  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

are  many  dishes,  but  the  Japanese  rarely  touch  them, 
as  they  drink  sake  first  and  it  is  accompanied  by 
many  ceremonies.  But  before  I describe  these  cere- 
monies let  me  say  a word  about  the  menu  of  the  din- 
ner, consisting  of  many  courses,  including  a whole 
dinner,  and  beginning  with  soup  in  lacquered  cups, 
which  are  lifted  to  the  mouth  to  drink;  but  it  is  not 
so  easy  with  the  hard  food,  which  one  must  eat  with 
chop  sticks,  and  this  creates  many  pleasant  laughs. 
You  are  generally  taught  this  art  by  the  geisha  who 
is  appointed  to  serve  you. 

The  dinner,  in  spite  of  the  many  dishes,  is  very 
light,  and  you  do  not  rise  from  the  table  with  a 
heavy  stomach,  as  in  Europe,  but  more  likely  with 
a heavy  head,  as  one  is  obliged  to  drink  quantities  of 
sake.  The  dinner  begins  by  the  host  approaching 
the  guest  of  honor  and,  falling  on  his  knees  before 
him,  saying,  “Allow  me,  please,  to  drink  sake  from 
your  cup.”  The  guest  refuses,  saying  that  he  is 
ashamed ; but  finally  taking  the  cup,  he  rinses  it,  and 
placing  it  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand  passes  it  to  the 
host,  who  touches  his  forehead  with  it.  The  mousme 
fills  it  with  sake  and  the  host  drinks  it,  after  which, 
rinsing  the  cup,  he  returns  it  to  his  guest,  who  goes 
through  exactly  the  same  form.  The  host  goes 
through  the  same  ceremony  with  every  guest,  and  if 
there  are  forty  guests  there  are  forty  cups  of  sake, 
which  is  no  small  quantity.  Each  guest  must  do  the 
same  thing  with  all  other  guests.  You  can  imagine 
that  their  heads  are  all  swimming,  and  people  who 
seemed  tiresome  and  silent  in  the  beginning  grow 
playful  and  talkative.  The  game  of  forfeit  begins, 
the  loser  always  taking  a cup  of  sake.  The  geishas 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


187 


take  part  in  this  game  and  the  guests  strive  to  make 
them  gay  and  drunk.  It  is  already  Bedlam  and 
everybody  is  drunk  when  the  real  dinner,  that  is,  the 
eating  of  rice  begins,  which  is  the  last  course,  after 
which  they  do  not  drink  any  more. 

Sometimes  during  the  dinner,  sometimes  after,  the 
dancing  and  singing  begins.  The  costumes  of  the 
dancers  are  very  rich.  The  first  dance  represents  the 
love  of  two  women  for  the  same  man,  the  second  is 
the  Japanese  version  of  the  myth  of  Pygmalion  and 
Galathea.  The  Japanese  Pygmalion  is  the  famous 
sculptor  and  carver  of  wood,  Hidari  Jingoro,  who 
centered  all  his  talent  in  carving  out  of  wood  a per- 
fectly beautiful  woman,  with  which  he  fell  in  love; 
and  one  day  his  work  suddenly  became  alive  and  the 
beautiful  woman  lived  before  him,  but  although  his 
art  had  been  able  to  produce  life  lie  could  not  give  to 
his  creation  a soul.  She  had  not  an  independent  will, 
but  acted  according  to  the  promptings  of  Hidari 
Jingoro,  whose  one  desire  was  to  make  her  a real 
woman,  and  he  finally  concluded  to  show  her  a mir- 
ror. Seeing  a mirror,  she  became  feminine,  and 
when  it  was  taken  away  from  her  she  became  an 
automaton.  This  mimic  representation  was  irre- 
proachable. The  happiness  of  Hidari  Jingoro  when 
lie  had  succeeded  in  putting  life  into  his  statue  was 
very  well  rendered,  and  also  his  disappointment 
when  he  realized  that  it  was  only  a doll,  and  his  enthu- 
siasm when  he  sees  her  with  a mirror,  and  his  sorrow 
when  she  disappears. 

The  third  dance  was  an  historical  one  and  with 
ancient  costumes.  Two  sisters  meet  on  the  sea-shore 
an  aristocrat  who  has  been  exiled  for  three  years. 


188 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


One  of  the  sisters  declares  her  love  for  him,  but  he, 
during-  this  declaration,  sits  like  a stone  and  only 
accepts  her  love  after  many  prayers  on  her  part, 
after  which  she  begins  combing  his  hair,  fondling, 
and  serving  him.  Then  appears  the  other  sister,  who  is 
also  in  love  with  him,  and  he  also  listens  indifferently 
to  her  words  of  love,  but  finally  yields  to  her  prayers. 
Then  begins  a struggle  between  the  sisters,  each  try- 
ing to  tear  the  unhappy  stranger  from  the  other, 
until  he  finally  persuades  them  both  to  live  with  him 
in  peace.  But  his  life  of  exile,  even  with  the  beauti- 
ful women,  is  burdensome  to  him,  and  he  secretly 
runs  away  from  them.  The  cast  of  this  last  struggle 
is  wonderfully  represented  by  the  geishas,  for  all  the 
roles  are  taken  by  women.  The  despair  of  his  wives 
is  very  realistic  and  they  wish  to  overtake  him,  but 
on  the  sea-shore  they  meet  sailors,  who  begin  to 
make  love  to  them.  They  refuse  these  advances,  one 
throwing  herself  into  the  sea,  the  other  losing  her 
mind. 

The  fourth  piece  was  the  story  of  a courtesan,  and 
the  costumes  were  of  the  greatest  richness,  the  dance 
with  the  branches  of  flowering  cherry  being  very 
pretty.  The  music  accompanying  these  dances  seems 
to  the  European  ear  monotonous  and  devoid  of  har- 
mony; but  I have  heard  many  times  motives  full  of 
original  beauty  and  melody,  and  I was  always  told 
that  it  was  old  Chinese  music.  The  ordinary  Japa- 
nese music,  without  which  there  is  never  a Japanese 
dinner,  is  only  pleasant  to  hear  at  a distance  in  the 
dead  of  a summer  night,  when  the  monotonous  tones 
of  the  samisen  blend  with  the  plaintive  notes  of  the 
flute,  the  melancholy  sailor  songs,  and  the  chirping 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  189 

of  the  insects;  in  other  words,  when  the  samisen  is 
not  heard  alone,  but  melts  into  the  surrounding 
chorus  of  nature. 

Before  leaving  Sapporo  I visited  the  coal  mines  of 
Porunai.  Let  me  say,  that  the  island  has  gold  ore 
in  Sorutai  and  Sohome,  and  Tokachi  and  Uksame 
contain  immense  deposits  of  sulphur  and  coal.  The 
sulphur  is  found  in  Isami,  Kabuni,  Iwanai,  and  Ata- 
sanobori  near  Kushiro.  In  the  latter  place  are  the 
greatest  deposits  of  sulphur,  which  is  taken  out  with 
but  little  trouble.  Atasanohori  cannot  he  called  an 
extinct  volcano,  as  at  very  little  depth  the  earth  is 
already  hot  and  gases  escape  with  great  noise,  bring- 
ing up  the  sulphur.  The  extent  of  these  sulphur 
beds  is  calculated  at  hundreds  of  thousands  of  tons ; 
and  as  for  the  coal  mines,  they  are  still  richer,  and 
the  deposits  of  coal  in  the  Plokkaido  reach  a billion 
tons. 

The  road  from  Sapporo  to  Porunai  crosses  richly 
cultivated  fields.  Before  us  is  the  familiar  picture  of 
people  harvesting  the  wheat  and  gathering  it  into 
sheaves.  Farther  on  we  see  the  clean  houses  of  the 
military  settlers  and  soon  appears  Porunai  Buto,  a 
pretty  town,  also  with  clean  houses  (1,050  inhabi- 
tants and  2,000  convicts).  From  Porunai  we  took  a 
coal  train  and  rode  on  an  open  platform,  loaded  with 
different  materials.  Both  sides  of  the  road  were 
lined  with  forest  with  only  here  and  there  small 
oases  of  cultivated  ground.  One  part  of  the  road 
leads  through  a snow  shed,  climbing  ever  higher, 
while  the  engine  pushes  from  behind. 

We  were  received  at  Porunai  by  the  authorities, 
who  invited  us  to  breakfast.  The  meal  consisted  of 


190  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

a plentiful  supply  of  Japanese  dishes, — rice,  cucum- 
bers, pickled  water  melon  and  omelet, — which  were 
served  in  European  style  on  a table,  with  forks  and 
knives. 

After  visiting  we  returned  to  Porunai  on  a plat- 
form car  loaded  with  coal,  and  there  found  a com- 
fortable carriage  to  take  us  to  the  penitentiary 
colony,  which  as  far  as  I could  see  was  a model  of 
good  order.  .The  town  built  by  the  convicts  made 
a very  good  impression  with  its  broad  streets,  clean 
houses  built  like  Russian  izbas,  and  elegant  public 
buildings.  Beyond  the  town  beautifully  cultivated 
fields  are  interspersed  with  good  roads,  and  one  can- 
not realize  that  it  is  all  the  work  of  convicts,  some  of 
whom  work  in  the  mines,  others  are  occupied  with 
agriculture,  and  still  others  are  in  workshops  making 
clothes,  boots,  ropes,  furniture,  and  all  that  is  neces- 
sary for  their  household  use.  After  a thorough  in- 
spection of  the  penitentiary  colony  we  returned  to 
the  house  of  the  superintendent,  who  had  kindly 
invited  me  to  be  his  guest.  He  was  a very  pleasant- 
faced Japanese  with  a flowing  beard,  and  as  it  is  the 
first  Japanese  house  I have  lived  in,  it  will  not  be 
out  of  place  to  say  a few  words  about  the  Japanese 
home  life. 

I have  already  told  you  how  the  houses  are  built 
with  nothing  European  about  them.  The  noise  of 
removing  the  outer  wooden  sliding  walls  is  terrific. 
The  mistress  of  the  house,  before  doing  anything 
else  in  the  morning,  reaches  for  tobacco  and  smokes 
a small  pipe.  The  pipe  is  so  tiny  that  she  can  only 
take  one  whiff,  after  which  she  empties  it  on  an  ash- 
tray and  fills  it  anew.  Every  one  who  has  slept  in 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  191 

a Japanese  house  is  familiar  with  this  tap  of  the  pipe 
against  the  ash-tray.  After  this  the  Japanese  lady 
goes  to  the  bath-room  to  make  her  toilet,  which  con- 
sists in  cleaning  her  teeth  with  a wooden  brush,  dur- 
ing which  time  she  and  all  the  household  cough 
loudly  and  make  noises  as  if  they  were  sea-sick.  They 
do  not  wash  their  faces,  but  only  wipe  them  off  with 
a soft  brush ; and  the  ladies  powder  themselves  and 
cover  their  lips  with  red  salve.  A Japanese  lady’s 
toilet  is  not  complicated,  consisting  only  of  a piece  of 
stuff  wrapped  around  her  hips,  the  kimono,  and  a 
sash. 

While  the  mistress  is  dressing,  the  servant  has 
already  dusted  the  room  with  a feather,  placed  a 
kettle  with  the  boiling  water  on  the  hibachi ; poured 
the  water  on  the  tea  in  a tiny  tea-pot,  and  warmed 
some  fish,  tai,  or  salmon,  after  which  begins  the  daily 
life,  the  woman  working  at  hand  work,  playing  on 
the  samisen,  gossiping  with  their  neighbors  and 
reading  the  papers ; the  men  going  to  their  business, 
and  returning  only  in  the  evening  to  their  homes,  for 
which  hour  the  bath  is  always  prepared.  If  there  is 
a guest  in  the  house  he  goes  in  the  bath  first,  after- 
wards the  master,  then  the  wife,  and  finally  the  ser- 
vants. You  will  wonder  if  they  all  wash  in  the  same 
water.  Yes,  but  it  is  done  in  the  following  manner. 
The  Japanese  do  not  wash  with  soap,  but  rub  them- 
selves with  pumice,  and  pour  a bucket  of  water  over 
themselves,  after  which  they  jump  in  the  bath  for  a 
minute.  But  even  so,  it  is  not  pleasant  to  bathe  in 
the  water  which  other  people  have  used.  When  you 
are  in  a Japanese  hotel  you  must  always  ask  if  any- 
one has  already  been  in  the  bath.  In  the  house  of 
which  I speak  I was  the  first  to  go  in  the  bath,  and 


192 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


the  cleanliness  of  everything  was  irreproachable,  but 
I could  not  profit  by  this,  as  the  water  was  so  hot  that 
I was  nearly  scalded.  After  his  bath  the  master  of 
the  house  puts  on  his  bath  robe  and  sits  down  to  din- 
ner. Instead  of  the  Japanese  dinner  on  the  matting, 
ours  was  a mixed  affair,  as  the  master  of  the  house 
had  ordered  a table  and  chairs,  and  my  cook  cooked 
the  dinner,  much  to  the  discomfort  of  the  hostess. 
But  there  was  nothing  to  be  done,  as  it  had  been  or- 
dered without  my  knowledge.  We  all  tried  the 
mixture  of  European  and  Japanese  dishes,  washing 
them  down  with  sake  and  European  wines.  My  host 
was  in  his  yukata,  or  bath  robe,  but  he  had  invited 
several  of  his  colleagues  to  meet  me,  and  there  was 
soon  an  animated  conversation  among  the  Japanese, 
to  the  great  delight  of  my  interpreter. 

At  ten  o’clock  I withdrew,  leaving  them  to  talk  on 
till  a late  hour.  They  generally  bring  into  the  bed- 
room two  futons  or  quilts  in  the  place  of  a bed  and 
one  futon,  which  is  used  as  a cover,  has  big  sleeves, 
and  is  fastened  in  the  back.  The  Japanese  have  no 
pillows,  only  a makura,  like  a little  wooden  bench, 
on  which  they  rest  their  necks,  and  in  this  uncom- 
fortable position  they  sleep.  It  is  interesting  to 
note  that  the  Japanese  makura  resembles  very  much 
the  Egyptian  pillow  as  it  is  represented  on  the  ancient 
monuments. 

At  night  the  women  wear  a sort  of  shirt  (jiban) 
with  a crape  or  silk  kimono,  and  loosen  their  belt, 
and  it  is  remarkable  how  quickly  they  change  their 
day  clothes  for  those  they  wear  at  night.  When  the 
guests  are  gone  the  wooden  walls  are  closed  and 
fastened  with  iron  bolts  and  the  household  sinks  to 
slumber. 


Chapter  XVIII 


From  Aomori  to  Tokyo — Reception  by  the  Governor  of 
Morioka — Women  wrestlers — A dinner  in  the  old  ceremo- 
nial style — Nikko. 


After  farewell  dinners  and  visits  I left  Hakodate. 
The  crossing  to  Aomori  was  pleasant  enough  and 
the  little  ship  Kanko  Maru  went  valiantly  through 
the  straits,  unfortunately  in  the  night,  so  that  we  saw 
nothing,  and  the  next  morning  we  were  in  the  broad 
bay  of  Aomori.  Aomori  is  the  chief  town  in  the 
province  and  has  a considerable  commerce  in  rice. 

Before  leaving  Aomori  in  jinrikshas  we  were  en- 
veloped in  drizzling  rain,  which  finally  cleared  off, 
and  we  had  a good  look  at  the  surrounding  country. 
The  road  winds  along  the  coast  or  climbs  the  moun- 
tain and  the  landscape  resembles  very  much  the 
Crimea.  In  the  background  rises  a range  of  moun- 
tains of  fantastic  form.  The  soil  is  favorable  to  the 
cultivation  of  rice.  Iwai  San  does  not  approve  of 
the  way  they  arrange  the  ricks  here.  In  some  places 
the  peasants  with  handkerchiefs  tied  around  their 
heads  or  wearing  straw  hats,  were  busy  harvesting. 
At  first  I thought  they  were  using  sickles,  but  I 
found  that  they  were  cutting  the  wheat  with  small 
scythes  attached  to  wooden  handles.  The  villages 
appeared  very  poor,  the  houses  being  built  of  wicker, 
covered  with  straw  or  cane  roofs.  But  one  must  not 


194  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

judge  by  the  exterior,  as  they  say  that  this  region  is 
rich  in  many  products  and  has  a great  trade. 

Until  one  reaches  Kaminato  there  are  only  small 
villages  with  poverty-stricken  houses,  many  inhab- 
itants of  which  are  suffering  from  sore  eyes.  Iwai 
San  inquired  as  to  the  reason  of  such  poverty,  and 
was  answered  that  the  harvest  was  good  but  that  the 
people  were  lazy.  Others  said  that  rice  does  not 
grow  well  in  these  parts  and  that  the  inhabitants 
would  not  plant  other  grain.  The  missionary,  who 
knows  the  country  well,  tells  me  that  the  people  are 
burdened  by  too  heavy  taxes. 

There  is  nothing  of  interest  on  the  road  to  Tchi- 
noe.  After  a mountainous  country,  covered  with 
forests,  a broad  valley  filled  with  rice  and  buckwheat 
opens  before  us.  In  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  soil  is 
fertile  all  along  the  way,  there  are  very  few  villages 
( we  passed  two  villages  in  20  kilometers) . The  type 
of  the  inhabitants  is  very  ugly,  with  the  exception 
of  our  kurumayas,  who  had  delicate  features  and 
fine  eyes.  These  kurumayas  made  the  trip  of  twenty 
kilometers  in  three  hours  and  a half,  although  the 
road  led  up  hill  and  down  dale.  Upon  arrival  they 
took  a hot  bath  and  changed  their  clothes.  They  are 
well  educated,  and  many  kurumayas  and  coolies 
know  the  Chinese  characters  and  are  much  better  in- 
formed than  most  house  servants. 

We  read  of  the  terrible  experiences  of  Isabella 
Bird  on  her  trip  to  Yezo  and  northern  Japan.  At 
one  time  she  could  get  no  peace  on  account  of  people 
peering  into  her  room,  another  time  she  was  eaten 
up  by  fleas,  and  the  third  she  almost  died  of  thirst; 
but  as  she  says  she  only  took  for  the  journey  a 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  195 

bunch  of  grapes  and  a bottle  of  water,  it  is  no  won- 
der that  she  felt  discomforts.  To  my  great  regret  I 
saw  and  felt  none  of  these  unfortunate  conditions 
while  traveling.  True,  I was  well  provided  for,  as 
I had  my  interpreter  and  my  cook,  and  the  local 
authorities  always  sent  a policeman  to  accompany 
me.  I had  always  a provision  of  tea,  coffee,  bread, 
sugar,  wine,  sardines,  and  cheese;  and  for  the  rest, 
chickens,  eggs,  and  fish  can  be  found  everywhere. 
The  presence  of  the  policeman  prevented  the  people 
from  being  troublesome ; but  generally  they  appeared 
to  be  indifferent  to  foreigners,  and  instead  of  sur- 
prise at  sight  of  us  they  glanced  at  us  carelessly  and 
went  their  way.  The  time  when  our  arrival  did  cre- 
ate a sensation  I will  speak  of  later.  I noted  one 
thing  especially — the  entire  absence  of  beggars;  and 
also  that  the  kurumayas  never  ask  for  a tip,  content- 
ing themselves  with  the  price  agreed  upon.  The 
houses  here  are  forlorn,  but  the  people  do  not  suffer 
from  poverty,  and  if  they  do  they  hide  it.  One  can 
say  more  exactly  that  they  are  happy  and  contented 
with  little.  Another  interesting  thing  is  that  there 
seem  to  be  no  estates  as  in  our  country.  The  nobles 
live  in  the  villages  with  the  rest  of  the  people,  and 
only  the  outward  appearance  of  the  house  shows  the 
wealth  of  the  master.  In  the  small  town  if  there  is  a 
nice  building  it  is  surely  the  school-house,  for  the 
smallest  village  has  a school. 

The  police-station  is  also  generally  a building  in 
European  style  with  a tower  for  the  fire  department. 
The  policemen  always  look  like  dandies.  They  are 
generally  of  the  samurai  class,  and  the  wonder  is, 
with  such  poor  pay  how  they  can  make  both  ends 


196  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

meet.  The  richest  people  are  always  the  owners  of 
disreputable  houses  (and  there  are  many)  and  the 
sake  merchants. 

It  is  said  that  after  the  harvest  season  there  are 
bull  fights,  the  bulls  in  this  neighborhood  being  fed 
on  eggs.  This  is  not  astonishing  when  one  hears  of 
horses  and  cows  being  fed  on  fish  in  many  places. 

From  Gonolie  there  is  a steep  ascent  and  the  road 
winds  around  and  up  a beautiful  mountain  covered 
with  green.  Groups  of  scarlet  maples  stand  out  in 
all  their  glory.  Far  below  a river  is  murmuring, 
people  are  moving;  and  farther  on  is  the  lake  of 
Towato,  where  the  river  Osakagawa  has  its  rise. 
There  also  are  silver  mines.  Finally,  a beautiful 
view  over  Asaka  midzu  and  a rich  valley  opens  be- 
fore us.  In  olden  times  it  was  the  abode  of  brigands 
and  no  chance  visitor  ever  saw  the  light  of  the  fol- 
lowing day.  This  village  is  the  only  one  in  all  Japan 
where  meat  was  eaten  in  former  times,  and  accord- 
ing to  popular  belief  the  inhabitants  fed  on  human 
flesh.  On  this  trip  I saw  for  the  first  time  the  trees 
from  which  the  Japanese  procure  their  valuable 
lacquer. 

A slit  is  made  in  the  tree  and  the  sap  running  out 
is  conducted  through  a pipe  into  a wooden  bowl.  The 
sap  is  collected  from  May  to  October.  The  selected 
tree  is  cut  twenty  times.  At  first  the  sap  has  a gray- 
ish color,  then  yellow,  and  with  exposure  to  the  air 
it  turns  black.  They  strain  it  through  a cloth  to 
clean  it  from  wood  and  dirt,  then  part  of  it  is  poured 
into  a round  vase  and  is  stirred  six  or  seven  hours, 
after  which  it  is  placed  in  a brazier  to  extract  the 
water.  During  the  stirring  powdered  iron  is  thrown 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  197 

into  it  to  give  it  a certain  brilliancy.  Our  arrival 
here  created  a sensation,  evidently,  for  all  the  village 
ran  out  to  look  at  us;  but  the  police  held  back  the 
crowd,  which  remained  at  a respectful  distance. 

As  Morioka  is  the  capital  of  the  province  I decided 
to  stop  there  a day  or  two.  It  is  surrounded  by 
mountains  on  all  sides  and  makes  a good  impression 
by  its  cleanliness,  and  by  its  elegant  buildings  sur- 
rounded by  gardens. 

The  Governor,  to  whom  I made  a visit,  was 
the  incarnation  of  kindness  and  gaiety.  He  invited 
me  to  dinner,  and  appointed  several  of  his  aids  to 
show  me  all  that  was  to  be  seen  in  Morioka,  but  the 
sights  are  few.  However,  we  saw  the  castle  of  the 
former  daimio.  The  actual  castle  does  not  exist; 
only  the  walls  of  the  citadel  remain,  and  these  are 
covered  with  bushes  and  trees.  The  former  daimio 
lives  even  now  in  Morioka  and  it  is  said  is  very  rich. 
Every  day  he  has  for  his  amusement  some  fireworks, 
surely  as  a consolation  for  his  lost  power.  On  the 
way  to  the  bazaar  we  went  to  look  at  the  women 
wrestlers,  and  the  fat  gentleman  who  was  accom- 
panying us  rolled  over  with  laughter.  He  afterwards 
showed  us  the  museum  where  are  exposed  the 
products  of  the  country,  which  are  porcelain  and 
lacquer,  and  a mineral  collection  with  specimens  of 
gold,  silver,  copper,  sulphur,  etc.  There  is  a silk 
factory,  where  they  make  silk  stuffs  and  dye  them ; 
then  a porcelain  factory,  a paper  mill,  iron-works, 
and  a stud,  which  is  now  in  private  hands. 

In  Morioka  there  are  many  pretty  shaded  gardens 
and  parks,  and  from  the  mountain,  where  formerly 
stood  the  temple,  an  extensive  view  of  all  the  town 


198  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

can  be  had.  Not  far  from  there  is  the  public  garden, 
where  always  can  be  found  myriads  of  children  feed- 
ing the  fish.  The  Governor’s  dinner,  which  accord- 
ing to  Iwai  San  was  to  be  a very  ceremonious  affair, 
was  given  at  the  club,  and  the  garden  and  all  the 
buildings  were  hung  with  garlands  of  multicolored 
lanterns. 

We  were  not  served  by  mousmes  this  time,  but  by 
youths  in  old  Japanese  costumes,  of  the  time  of  the 
Dictator  Nobunaga,  so  the  host  informed  us.  The 
conversation  turned  on  serious  subjects.  We  spoke 
of  Nobunaga,  the  chances  in  Japan,  of  Bulgarian  and 
Afghanistan  questions.  After  the  dinner  we  retired 
to  another  room,  where  table  and  chairs  were  ar- 
ranged. The  Governor  informed  us  that  according 
to  the  ceremonial  of  Nobunaga  there  was  no  singing 
and  dancing,  but  that  as  I was  a stranger  and  must 
have  been  bored  during  the  dinner,  he  had  ordered 
dances  to  amuse  me.  The  walls  separated,  we  heard 
music,  and  the  dancers  appeared.  I will  not  describe 
these  dances,  as  I have  already  spoken  about  them. 

The  road  from  Morioka  is  lined  with  hundred- 
year-old  cryptomerias,  and  it  made  me  sad  to  see  that 
many  of  these  beautiful  trees  had  been  cut  down  to 
level  the  road.  Everywhere  the  eye  rests  on  rice 
fields  or  pastures,  with  cattle  feeding,  and  throngs  of 
people  are  traveling  along  the  road.  In  the  distance 
rises  the  volcano  Gan  Jiusan,  which,  on  account  of 
its  likeness  to  the  holy  mountain  of  Japan,  is  called 
the  Fuji  of  Nambu. 

I owe  it  to  the  kindness  of  the  Governor  of 
Morioka  that  I was  able  to  visit  Ghiusondi,  with  its 
temple,  where  is  shown  the  portrait  of  Yeshi-tsune 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  199 

and  his  companion  Benke,  who  has  a perfect  African 
type.  The  face  of  Yeshi-tsune,  on  the  contrary,  is 
white  and  very  handsome.  The  shrine  is  of  wood, 
covered  with  gold  lacquer,  and  the  stucco  work  is 
gold,  inlaid  with  mother-of-pearl,  and  very  well 
preserved. 

We  passed  the  night  at  the  house  of  a “famous 
gentleman,”  according  to  Iwai  San,  whose  fame 
rested  on  the  fact  that  he  was  very  rich  and  that  the 
Emperor  stopped  at  his  house  when  he  came  to  visit 
the  temple  of  Chiusondi. 

Iwai  San  went  into  ecstasies  over  the  arrangement 
of  the  house,  especially  the  bath,  which  was  quite 
European.  The  “famous  gentleman’s”  bill  was 
modest,  and  when  I wanted  to  give  money  to  the 
servants,  both  Iwai  San  and  the  official  advised  me 
to  give  it  to  the  master  through  the  official,  which 
I did,  and  a few  moments  later  appeared  the  master 
and  threw  himself  three  times  on  the  ground  before 
me. 

From  Kosenji  we  went  on  the  boat  down  the  river 
Kita  kami  to  Ichinomaki  to  see  the  exposition  of 
local  products. 

The  next  interesting  place  is  Matsushima,  where 
we  found  throngs  of  pilgrims  and  people  returning 
from  the  festival  in  Sendai.  The  hotel  was  full  and 
many  people  were  crowded  into  a room.  Thanks  to 
the  influence  of  our  companion,  quarters  were 
prepared  for  us  in  the  neighboring  temple. 

But  I have  not  said  anything  of  the  place,  the 
fame  of  which  has  been  sung  by  Japanese  poets. 
Matsushima  is  one  of  the  three  places  famous  for 
the  beauty  of  the  landscape,  and  even  Iwai  San 


200  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

confessed  to  me  that  he  himself  was  moved  to  write 
verses  here.  As  I gazed  on  Matsushima  I under- 
stood why  the  Japanese  love  it — the  landscape 
embraces  all  that  Japanese  consider  beautiful. 
There  are  rocks,  curiously  shaped  trees,  the  sea  as 
tranquil  as  a lake,  and  temples  and  grottoes.  The 
favorite  Japanese  landscape  does  not  impress  by  its 
grandeur  or  wild  beauty;  on  the  contrary,  it  is  a 
beautiful  miniature,  full  of  charm  and  harmony,  and 
it  would  be  difficult  not  to  admire  these  fantastic 
rocks,  surmounted  by  two  or  three  pines ; these  white 
islands  of  lime  and  stone,  with  small  temples  perched 
upon  them,  in  the  midst  of  the  soft  blue  sea  lapping 
lazily  in  the  sunshine. 

On  the  road  to  the  temple,  which  is  kept  in  order 
by  the  Count  Date,  I noticed  many  grottoes  and 
niches  in  which  were  lanterns  cut  out  of  the  stone. 
One  of  these  grottoes  is  very  large,  and  the  Japanese 
could  not  understand  why  I was  so  interested  in 
them.  Many  of  them,  and  there  are  about  thirty, 
are  used  as  store-houses  for  straw  and  household 
effects.  The  caves  belonging  to  the  temples  of 
India  are  certainly  more  magnificent,  but  the  idea 
is  one  and  the  same.  The  priest  told  us  that  there 
was  a passage  from  one  of  these  grottoes  to  a great 
hall,  but  he  had  never  been  to  it  and  only  knew  about 
it  by  tradition.  On  one  of  the  islands  there  are  as 
many  as  a hundred  caves,  in  one  of  which  there  is  a 
big  statue  of  Buddha  and  a few  other  small  statues. 

Knowing  that  the  prehistoric  inhabitants  of  Japan 
lived  in  caves,  one  can  imagine  that  this  was  one  of 
their  settlements  and  that  the  lanterns  and  Buddhist 
statues  came  later,  when  the  Buddhist  monasteries 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  201 

were  built  in  these  places.  The  temple  in  which  we 
passed  the  night  was  quite  large,  and  built  like  all 
Japanese  temples,  of  wood,  decorated  with  a profu- 
sion of  gold  lacquer,  carving,  and  multicolored 
lanterns ; but  all  that  and  the  paper  screens  did  not 
keep  us  warm  that  night,  as  the  thermometer  stood 
at  7 R.  Outside  the  temple  are  placed  large  boards 
with  the  names  of  all  those  who  give  donations  to 
the  temple. 

There  are  many  visitors,  sometimes  four  hundred 
a day.  We  were  shown  all  sorts  of  things,  among 
others  gold  hair  sent  from  India.  There  was  also 
a present  made  to  the  high  priest  in  Matsushima  for 
extinguishing  a fire  in  Kyoto,  some  hundreds  of 
kilometers  away,  by  pouring  water  on  a certain  spot 
in  Matsushima ; and  the  priest  told  us  about  it  quite 
seriously.  In  the  niche  behind  the  altar  there  is  a 
wooden  statue,  a realistic  reproduction  of  Date  Ma- 
samune,  the  ancestor  of  the  Sendai  daimios  and  the 
founder  of  this  temple.  It  is  interesting,  as  the  daimio 
is  represented  in  the  warlike  apparel  of  the  time.  Next 
to  him,  sitting  on  a chair,  is  a life-like  figure  of  Hiku 
San,  celebrated  for  his  literary  work.  In  another 
room,  in  niches,  there  are  statues  of  the  wife  and 
daughter  of  Date  Masamune.  The  floor  was  strewn 
with  copper  and  silver  money,  offerings  of  the 
worshippers. 

It  is* a beautiful  trip  by  boat  from  Matsushima  to 
Shiogama.  The  sea  is  quiet  and  smooth,  as  if 
enchanted.  Thousands  of  small  green  islands  are 
cast  on  its  surface  with  a generous  hand ; the  sky  is 
clear  blue  and  the  air  invigorating.  Sendai,  the 
former  residence  of  the  daimio  Date-Mutsu-no- 


202  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

Kami,  is  at  present  the  capital  of  the  province  and 
the  seat  of  administration.  The  principal  sight  is 
the  Sendai  castle,  occupied  now  by  the  troops.  In 
order  to  see  it  I paid  a visit  to  the  general  of  division, 
who  received  us  very  cordially  in  his  house,  which 
is  half  European  and  half  Japanese.  The  walls  are 
bare,  but  there  are  carpets  and  chairs  in  the  room. 
As  is  the  custom,  we  were  offered  tea  and  sweets, 
weak  coffee,  and  pears  harder  than  rocks.  The 
castle  is  on  a mountain  covered  with  vegetation. 
Palms  and  bamboo,  a great  rarity  in  the  north,  are 
seen.  Judging  by  the  thickness  of  the  walls,  the 
vastness  of  its  citadel,  and  the  high  and  beautiful 
position  of  the  castle,  it  must  have  produced  in  the 
olden  times  a most  imposing  effect,  as  did  the  castles 
on  the  Rhine.  Looking  at  it  I realized  that  I had 
visited  Japan  too  late.  I should  like  to  have  seen 
this  castle,  for  instance,  in  the  olden  time  when  it 
was  filled  with  retainers  and  warriors  ready  at  any 
moment  to  die  for  their  master.  Date  Masamune, 
as  we  know,  was  the  daimio,  who  sent  the  deputa- 
tion to  Rome,  and  the  presents  which  the  Pope  sent 
to  him  are  shown  to  the  visitor.  In  Sendai  there 
is  a permanent  exhibition  of  local  products.  There 
I met  the  English  consul  and  his  wife,  and  together 
we  went  to  Fukushima.  The  weather  was  bad  and 
the  pouring  rain  made  us  draw  close  the  covers  of 
our  jinrikshas,  so  we  saw  nothing  of  the  beautiful 
road.  Only  as  we  approached  Fukushima  did  the 
rain  stop  and  we  could  enjoy  the  scenery,  which 
in  many  places  reminded  me  of  the  road  from 
Simpheropol  to  Yalta.  In  Fukushima  a large  and 
comfortable  house  was  put  at  our  disposal.  Traveling 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


203 


in  Japan  with  ladies  is  sometimes  very  embarrassing, 
as  the  Japanese  do  not  understand  European  modesty. 
The  kurumayas  are  not  in  the  least  constrained  by 
the  presence  of  ladies,  and  as  freely  as  horses  they 
will  attend  to  the  wants  of  nature  on  a long  trip. 
When  the  wife  of  the  English  consul  was  taking  her 
bath,  in  walked  the  man  of  the  house,  quite  uncon- 
cernedly; and  the  mistress  of  the  house  put  all  our 
beds  in  one  room,  as  if  there  were  not  rooms  to 
spare.  Once  when  we  were  going  in  great  company 
from  Tokyo  to  Yokohama,  a Japanese,  who  is  now 
a minister  in  one  of  the  European  capitals  and  who 
then  occupied  a high  position  in  the  Foreign  Office, 
was  traveling  with  his  wife  and  child.  The  child 
began  fretting,  and  instead  of  taking  it  to  the  retiring- 
room,  the  Japanese  papa  held  it  in  a certain  position 
while  it  relieved  itself  on  the  carpet  of  the  car. 

What  can  I say  about  Nikko,  when  it  has  been 
praised  from  every  possible  point  of  view.  It  is  not 
in  vain  that  the  Japanese  say  that  he  who  has  not  seen 
Nikko  has  missed  seeing  something  wonderful.  For 
myself,  I must  say,  that  coming  to  Japan  after  having 
seen  the  mighty  buildings,  in  stone  and  marble,  of 
the  Hindus,  of  whom  they  say  that  they  built  like 
giants  and  decorated  like  jewelers,  I involuntarily 
compared  them  with  Japanese  buildings  and  was  not 
impressed  by  the  wooden  temples  of  Japan. 

I must  admit,  however,  that  the  mausoleums  of 
the  Shogun  Iyeyasu  and  others  in  Nikko  surpass  by 
their  magnificence,  richness  and  luxury  all  else  in 
Japan.  I will  not  dwell  on  all  the  treasures  of 
Nikko;  on  the  sculptures  of  Hidari  Jingoro;  on  the 
stone  lanterns,  torii,  which  were  given  by  such  a 


204 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


daimio;  on  the  beautiful  carvings  of  the  ceilings; 
enamel,  bronzes,  mother-of-pearl  decorations;  the 
silk  materials,  drawings,  and  bells  of  the  many- 
storied  pagodas.  The  Japanese  genius  showed  itself 
in  the  selection  of  spots  for  these  wonderful  mauso- 
leums. I have  seen  many  mausoleums  perhaps  in 
themselves  more  magnificent,  but  for  surroundings 
the  palm  must  be  given  to  Japan.  They  possess  the 
art  of  preparing  you  for  a certain  impression. 

Nikko  is  in  the  midst  of  mountains.  Every  step 
is  an  ascent,  terraces  are  piled  on  terraces,  endless 
staircases  lead  seemingly  to  heaven,  and  on  the  way 
you  admire  magnificent  temples  which  have  no 
equals.  But  this  is  not  all.  Going  ever  higher  and 
higher,  nature  assumes  an  aspect  austere  and  sombre, 
and  century-old  cedars  impress  with  quiet  sorrow, 
until  in  the  midst  of  silence,  only  broken  by  the  sound 
of  the  distant  waterfall,  rest  the  ashes  of  the  great 
Shogun.  All  is  simplicity,  grandeur,  and  solemnity ; 
no  gilded  decorations,  no  splendor,  only  a gigantic 
tomb  of  stone  and  bronze  warns  the  coming  genera- 
tions of  the  vanity  of  all  that  is  earthly. 


Chapter  XIX 


In  the  mountains  of  Japan — European  Olympia — Pilgrims  to 
Chiuzenji — Through  the  mountains  on  foot— The  joyful 
town — Ascent  of  the  volcano  Asama  Yama — Miyanoshita — 
With  the  Japanese  pilgrims  to  the  holy  mountain. 


In  the  summer,  when  Tokyo  is  steeped  in  heat,  all 
who  possibly  can,  fly  from  the  dust  and  oppressive- 
ness of  the  capital.  The  Japanese  ministers  seek  the 
quiet  of  the  seashore  at  Oiso,  at  Ikao,  or  Shibu.  The 
missionaries  have  chosen  Karuisawa  with  its  fresh 
air  and  its  high  position  above  the  sea  level ; the 
diplomats  go  to  Olympia, — pardon,  I should  say 
Chiuzenji, — three  hours  by  jinriksha  from  the 
famous  Nikko.  Nikko  with  its  temples  is  already 
high  in  the  mountains,  but  to  reach  Chiuzenji  (4,375 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea)  you  must  climb  three 
hours  and  a half  farther  by  an  awful  road,  so  that 
the  kurumayas  drawing  the  little  jinrikshas  are  quite 
exhausted  from  fatigue,  and  keep  encouraging  them- 
selves by  loud  cries.  The  endurance  of  these  people 
is  wonderful.  Others  would  at  least  curse  their  fate, 
but  these  laugh  at  every  hardship.  The  scenery  is 
wonderfully  grand — huge,  steep  rocks  alternate  with 
green  hills,  dotted  with  bouquets  of  bright  colors. 
Suddenly  a torrent  rushes  through  a gorge,  tumbling 
noisily,  and  tossing  its  spray  over  the  great  rocks. 
Several  primitive  bridges  span  this  bubbling,  gurg- 
ling stream,  and  in  other  places  the  road  winds 


206 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


through  the  narrow  cut  of  the  mountain.  Water 
falling  from  the  heights  above  soaks  the  road  in 
places,  which  is  continually  mended  without  visible 
results,  as  during  the  rainy  season  this  road  is  con- 
sidered very  dangerous,  and  very  often  communica- 
tion is  entirely  interrupted. 

Farther  up  on  the  pinkish  background  of  con- 
gealed lava  gleams  a silver  waterfall,  then  disappears 
into  the  green  depths  of  the  forest.  At  every  turn 
a new  picture  presents  itself,  one  more  beautiful  than 
the  other,  and  with  what  a variety  of  colors,  shading 
into  the  all-enveloping  green  of  the  mountain  tops. 
In  the  evening  light  the  whole  world  appears  of  a 
magic  brilliancy.  Purple,  violet,  and  gold  spans  of 
light  stretch  across  the  cuts  in  the  mountains  and 
sink  into  the  deepening  foliage.  Farther  along  and 
we  come  into  the  region  of  the  white  birch  trees, 
another  ascent  and  we  are  in  a beautiful  park;  there 
lies  a lake,  around  which  are  several  pretty  Japanese 
houses.  The  lake  Chiuzenji  (seven  and  a half  miles 
long  and  two  and  a half  across)  is  of  volcanic  forma- 
tion, of  pure,  clear  water,  with  abruptly  cut  shores. 
All  the  country  is  of  volcanic  origin,  and  many  think 
that  the  center  of  this  volcanic  action  was  the  lake 
of  Chiuzenji  itself,  which  in  form  reminds  one  of  the 
crater  of  a volcano. 

Farther  along  the  road  we  come  to  a Japanese 
village,  or  properly  speaking,  a whole  row  of  Japan- 
ese hotels  and  a temple.  Not  far  from  here  are  the 
villas  of  the  diplomats,  and  in  a small  space  congre- 
gate all  the  representatives  of  Europe  and  America. 

Far  from  political  cares,  they  rest  in  the  quiet  and 
freshness  of  the  mountains,  walking,  boating,  and 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  207 

arranging  picnics  and  dinners.  There  is  a telegraph 
station,  and  the  mail  arrives  every  day,  under  favor- 
able circumstances,  of  course;  for  when  it  rains  very 
hard  the  post  cannot  get  through  and  when  it  is 
especially  necessary  the  telegraph  does  not  work. 
But  how  about  politics,  and  ministerial  crises — how 
do  they  get  along  without  the  diplomats,  who  are 
shut  up  on  their  Olympia? 

Do  not  let  us  dwell  longer  on  the  Europeans,  as 
it  is  the  Japanese  that  we  have  come  to  see.  I have 
just  spoken  about  the  Japanese  hotels,  all  of  which 
are  on  the  border  of  the  lake,  not  far  from  the  temple. 
All  summer  they  are  besieged  by  tourists,  but  the  real 
life  begins  about  the  third  of  August,  when  Chiuzenji 
is  visited  by  thousands  of  pilgrims.  Then  the  hotels 
run  over,  and  the  visitors  are  crowded  into  big  barns, 
which  are  closed  at  other  seasons.  These  belong  to 
the  temple,  which  receives  a good  income  from  the 
pilgrims  wdio  desire  to  ascend  the  holy  mountain  of 
Nantai  San.  The  road  from  Nikko  to  Chiuzenji  is 
thronged  with  them,  dressed  in  coarse  white  linen, 
or  common  bag  stuff,  which  they  never  change 
during  the  whole  of  the  pilgrimage;  but  every  hotel 
supplies  clean  bath-robes  for  its  guests,  and  the 
Japanese  always  sit  in  them  after  their  evening  bath. 
Every  pilgrim  wears  a straw  hat,  costing  one  or  two 
cents,  and  carries  on  his  shoulder  a piece  of  matting, 
and  in  his  hand  a long  staff,  to  which  is  attached 
strips  of  paper  (gohei)  and  a gong  or  small  bell, 
which  he  rings  when  invoking  the  name  of  Buddha. 
On  their  feet  they  wear  ordinary  straw  sandals 
(waraji),  which  are  very  convenient  for  climbing 
the  mountain.  They  are  for  sale  at  every  little  shop 


208 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


or  tea-house,  and  can  be  renewed  whenever  neces- 
sary. Therefore,  during  the  pilgrimage  the  whole 
road  from  Nikko  to  Chiuzenji  is  strewn  with  these 
cast-off  sandals.  The  pilgrims  carry  on  their  backs 
boxes  in  the  shape  of  Buddhist  temples,  containing 
their  clothes  and  food ; besides  which,  every  pilgrim 
has  a book  in  which  the  priest  of  the  temple  he  visits 
signs  his  name,  adding  his  seal.  Thus  the  Japanese 
pilgrims  easily  travel  hundreds  of  miles  and  feel  no 
fatigue  or  discomfort.  Among  them  there  are  many 
of  the  higher  classes,  but  on  the  road  they  are  not 
distinguishable  from  their  more  humble  companions. 
The  pilgrimages  are  various.  Some  consist  in  visit- 
ing thirty-three  temples  of  Kwannon,  the  goddess  of 
mercy,  or  eighty-eight  temples  of  Kobodaisi,  a Budd- 
hist saint,  the  founder  of  the  Singon  sect  and  the 
inventor  of  Japanese  writing.  However,  that  is 
nothing  in  comparison  with  Seigadzi,  which  pilgrim- 
age consists  of  visiting  a thousand  temples  belonging 
to  the  sect  of  Nichireh. 

During  the  three  days  of  August  when  the  pil- 
grimage is  at  its  height  the  hotels  make  great  sums 
of  money.  With  great  difficulty  I secured  a small 
corner  for  three  dollars  a day,  the  host  considering 
that  he  was  doing  me  a great  favor;  and  he  was 
right,  as  every  room  could  hold  thirty  and  forty 
pilgrims,  who,  although  paying  a small  amount  each 
(30  to  40  sen)  were  more  profitable  than  a foreigner. 

On  returning  to  the  hotel  that  evening  I found 
the  market-place  white  with  people,  who,  not  finding 
shelter  in  the  hotels  were  camping  in  the  square,  or 
in  the  barns  used  for  the  pilgrims,  and  where  they 
have  only  to  pay  for  the  wood  used  in  cooking  their 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


209 


food.  Thanks  to  this  system,  even  the  poorest 
laborer  can  take  a holiday  and  travel  in  Japan,  and 
at  a season  when  the  rice  does  not  demand  their  care 
thousands  go  on  excursions.  The  square  was  lighted 
by  thousands  of  lanterns,  torches,  and  bonfires,  and 
like  mushrooms  small  shops  had  sprung  up,  trading 
in  all  sorts  of  things,  while  to  cheer  up  the  pilgrims 
there  were  story-tellers,  marionettes,  dioramas  and 
theatres. 

To  reach  my  small  room  was  a difficult  matter, 
as  the  lower  part  of  the  house  and  the  corridors  were 
filled  with  sleeping  bodies,  and  one  had  to  pick  one’s 
way  to  avoid  stepping  on  a pilgrim’s  head.  Not  all 
were  sleeping,  however,  for  in  the  second  story  some 
were  already  preparing  for  the  ascent  of  the  holy 
mountain,  and  to  fortify  themselves  were  indulging 
in  food  and  sake;  others  were  bathing  in  the  cold 
waters  of  the  lake  (remember,  it  was  midnight). 
The  bathers  were  singing,  shrieking,  and  making  the 
night  hideous  with  noises,  as  if  they  were  burning  on 
slow  fires.  You  can  easily  imagine  the  chaos  reign- 
ing in  the  hotel,  with  only  paper  screens  separating 
one  room  from  the  other.  The  host  and  hostess, 
with  repeated  bows,  were  begging  pardon  for  the 
disturbance.  Sleep  was  out  of  the  question,  but  the 
scene  was  so  full  of  interest  that  I quietly  awaited 
the  departure  of  the  pilgrims.  Finally  they  are 
ready,  and  with  staffs  and  torches  they  repair  to  the 
temple,  where  they  have  already  taken  tickets  and 
paid  a certain  sum  for  the  right  to  make  the  ascent. 
The  massive  gates  of  the  temple  slowly  open  and  the 
crowd  files  out  and  up,  until  the  whole  mountain 
seems  to  be  wound  around  and  around  with  a ribbon 


210  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

of  fire.  Arriving  at  the  top  they  await  the  sunrise, 
say  prayers,  then  start  back.  After  the  departure 
of  the  pilgrims,  at  two  o’clock  in  the  morning,  quiet 
reigns  in  the  hotel,  until  five  or  seven,  when  the 
pilgrims  return  to  breakfast  before  their  final  depart- 
ure. When  I came  out  of  my  room  in  the  morning 
the  house  had  been  put  in  order,  the  straw  sandals 
had  been  collected  into  piles  and  burned,  the  floors 
downstairs  were  shining,  and  you  could  not  imagine 
that  hundreds  of  people  had  passed  the  night  there. 

On  this  day  the  Heir  Apparent  visited  Chiuzenji 
with  his  suite.  They  came  in  jinrikshas,  the  prince 
dressed  in  a morning  coat  and  a derby,  his  suite  in 
frock  coats  and  high  hats,  though  the  heat  was  in- 
tense. The  prince  lived  in  a temple,  and  there  illumi- 
nations and  fireworks  were  given  in  his  honor. 

The  environments  of  Chiuzenji  are  beautiful,  but 
the  most  beautiful  is  the  walk  to  Yumoto,  from  where 
one  can  reach  a magnificent  cascade,  and  farther  are 
two  lakes.  Yumoto  itself  is  on  the  shore  of  a beau- 
tiful lake,  the  waters  of  which  are  white  from  the 
sulphur  springs.  There  is  not  a house  in  the  village 
which  is  not  a hotel,  or  a bath,  where  old  and  young 
men,  women  and  children  bathe  together. 

This  walk  was  a prelude  to  a long  excursion  on 
foot  through  the  mountains.  The  weather  was  not 
promising,  as  dark  clouds  were  banked  over  against 
Ashio,  toward  which  we  were  turned.  Besides  the 
carriers  with  our  things  and  provisions  we  took  a 
cook,  and  the  ascent  as  far  as  Ashio  toge  was  not 
difficult.  The  descent  by  slippery  and  precipitous 
paths  was  not  very  agreeable.  I could  not  get  good 
foot-gear,  and  envied  my  companion  in  his  Persian 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


211 


slippers  for  mountain  climbing.  Soon  began  a very- 
dangerous  part  of  the  road,  on  one  side  straight  walls 
of  rock,  and  on  the  other  side  steep,  precipitous 
ravines — the  least  misstep  and  you  would  be  precip- 
itated hundreds  of  feet  below.  The  earth  was  soft, 
and  crumbled  beneath  your  feet.  The  Japanese 
themselves  call  these  paths  “oya  shiradzu,  ko  shir- 
adzu”;  that  is,  “the  children  forget  their  parents,  the 
parents  their  children,”  thinking  of  their  own 
safety — and  under  such  circumstances  it  is  difficult 
to  appreciate  the  beauty  of  the  landscape.  As  we 
arrived  very  late  at  Ashio,  we  saw  the  mines,  and 
then  continued  our  way  to  Sori.  The  road  is  good, 
as  it  lies  along  the  line  of  the  track  from  the  mines. 
On  the  right  the  river  dances  between  high  white 
rocks.  Rain  began,  and  did  not  cease  until  we 
reached  Sori.  You  can  easily  imagine  our  delight 
at  sight  of  the  hotel,  where  we  donned  the  comfort- 
able “yukata”  and  lay  down  to  rest  on  soft  matting. 
The  next  day,  passing  through  a village,  we  noticed  a 
policeman,  who,  quickly  buckling  on  his  sword,  ran 
after  us,  wishing  to  accompany  us  for  our  safety ; but 
we  thanked  him,  begging  him  not  to  trouble  himself, 
and  he  left  us  to  our  fate,  with  a parting  recommenda- 
tion to  our  guides  to  take  great  care  of  our  valuable 
persons.  The  road  was  difficult  and  fatiguing,  but 
not  dangerous,  and  we  finally  arrived  at  the  summit, 
which  is  covered  with  low  bushes  and  brambles,  and 
where  there  is  a lake,  and  a temple  to  the  saint  Akagi 
San.  There  is,  besides  the  temple,  but  one  primitive 
inn,  consisting  of  one  large  room,  where  all  the  visit- 
ors, the  masters  of  the  house,  the  servants,  and  all 
the  coolies  are  lodged  together ; also  the  Shinto  priest 


212 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


of  the  temple.  The  hearth  for  preparing  the  food  is 
in  the  same  room,  and  the  smoke  fills  all  the  space. 
Comfort  was  not  to  be  expected  in  such  a place,  but 
in  the  evening  we  received  wadded  mattresses,  which 
we  proceeded  to  cover  with  clouds  of  insect  powder, 
and  we  lay  down  to  sleep.  The  flickering  lamp 
showed  dimly  a dozen  or  more  human  bundles  cover- 
ing the  floor,  and  from  many  corners  came  the  sound 
of  snoring.  On  the  following  day  we  lost  our  way 
in  the  mountains,  and  only  after  many  difficulties 
arrived  at  Sliibu  kawa  in  the  evening,  from  which 
place  we  took  jinrikshas  to  Ikao,  which  is  2,700  feet 
above  sea  level.  Our  kurumayas  had  a hard  pull  to 
get  us  up  the  mountain,  while  we  enjoyed  the  beauti- 
ful scenery.  But  there  is  so  much  beautiful  scenery 
that  one  feels  at  moments  satiated,  and — oh,  shame ! 
— I went  to  sleep  rocked  by  the  gentle  swaying  of  the 
jinriksha,  and  only  opened  my  eyes  on  arrival  before 
a pretty  tea-house.  The  women  servants,  on  their 
knees,  with  low  bows  to  the  floor,  welcomed  us,  and 
begged  us  to  rest.  The  mattings  were  irreproachably 
clean,  the  screens  or  sliding  walls  were  new,  with 
pretty  paintings,  and  on  the  floor  a Japanese  girl,  in  a 
charming  pose,  was  sleeping.  Our  kurumayas  had 
run  out  to  the  well,  and,  stripping  themselves  before 
every  one,  were  calmly  washing  themselves — a genre 
picture  which  is  seen  at  every  step  in  Japan. 

Reaching  Ikao,  we  found  all  the  hotels  full,  but 
after  a long  harangue  beds  were  brought  into  a bil- 
liard-room, and  screens  divided  us  from  the  street. 
Ikao  is  celebrated  for  its  springs,  and  has  quite  an 
original  appearance.  It  has  one  large  street,  with 
several  side  streets  leading  from  it ; or,  more  properly 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  213 

speaking,  several  staircases  leading  up  to  a temple. 
In  the  evening  they  are  all  lighted  up  with  hundreds 
of  fires.  The  shops  are  filled  with  all  sorts  of  eat- 
ables, wooden  articles  and  curios,  and  on  the  stair- 
cases is  thronging  a gay  crowd,  contented  with  life 
and  dressed  in  light  bath-robes.  Although  Ikao  is 
counted  a health  resort,  the  Japanese  look  upon  it  as 
a pleasure  resort.  Therefore  there  are  many  visitors 
who  pass  their  time  drinking,  banqueting,  listening 
to  geishas,  and  living  quite  sans  gene.  Here  states- 
men forget  their  wives,  families,  and  their  political 
cares,  and  give  themselves  up  to  pleasure  and  de- 
bauchery like  the  commonest  mortals.  On  all  sides 
are  heard  the  sounds  of  the  ama,  or  massagist’s  flute, 
Japanese  music,  and  the  songs  of  geishas.  Farther 
on  the  whole  crowd  masses  to  see  the  fireworks  sent 
off  for  the  special  pleasure  of  some  rich  Japanese. 

From  Ikao  we  went  to  Shibukawa,  from  where  a 
horse  car  took  us  to  Maye  baslii,  where  I separated 
from  my  companion  and  went  to  Karuisawa.  The 
road  across  Usuitoge  is  one  of  grand  beauty.  There 
are  tunnels  without  number,  and  as  the  train  issues 
from  them  it  literally  hangs  over  terrible  precipices, 
while  a magnificent  view  stretches  over  far-away 
mountains  and  valleys.  Yet  there  are  people  who 
speak  of  “plaything  Japan.”  They  can  never  have 
seen  beyond  the  neighborhood  of  Yokohama. 

Karuisawa  is  in  a kettle,  surrounded  by  moun- 
tains, and  a good  distance  from  the  railway  station. 
It  should  be  called  Missionopolis,  as  so  many  mis- 
sionaries live  there.  The  streets  are  full  of  children, 
riding  donkeys  or  in  little  carriages,  or  buying  toys 
and  sweets.  Behind  the  long  street  which  composes 


214 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


the  village  are  cottages  surrounded  by  gardens,  laid 
out  in  great  style.  When  I was  there  the  inhabitants 
of  Karuisawa  were  in  a state  of  panic  on  account  of 
several  cases  of  cholera,  which  had  not  spared  even 
Europeans.  The  value  of  Karuisawa  fell  in  the  mar- 
ket and  the  papers  were  filled  with  discussions  as  to 
whether  the  place  was  healthy  or  not.  I came,  not 
for  rest,  nor  to  breathe  the  pure  mountain  air,  but  to 
make  the  ascent  of  the  active  volcano  Asama  Yama. 
Profiting  by  the  freshness  of  the  night,  we  started 
on  horseback,  accompanied  by  guides  with  lanterns. 
We  soon  lost  our  way,  and  at  midnight  the  guide  was 
still  hunting  for  the  path  which  led  to  the  volcano. 
For  the  actual  ascent  we  had  to  leave  our  horses  and 
proceed  on  foot,  sinking  at  every  step  in  the  porous 
ground,  which  was  covered  with  ashes.  All  traces 
of  vegetation  cease,  except  here  and  there  a small 
bush  called  poligonum.  We  passed  on  the  road  a 
few  sleeping  pilgrims,  who,  awakening  and  seeing  us, 
arose  and  continued  their  route.  At  daybreak  we 
extinguished  our  lanterns  and  went  on  courageously 
toward  the  top.  Little  by  little  the  dark  red  mass  of 
the  volcano  loomed  before  us,  and  below  us  surged 
a milky  sea  of  clouds.  Suddenly  the  light  pierced 
the  clouds,  and  below  us  stretched  a view  over  hun- 
dreds of  miles,  with  the  cone  of  Fuji  Yama  rising  in 
the  distance.  Pilgrims,  as  the  sun  rose,  bowed  their 
heads,  clapped  their  hands  and  prayed.  Two  hun- 
dred steps  more,  and  we  were  at  the  mouth  of  the 
crater  ( 1233  feet  across  and  750  feet  deep),  from  the 
depths  of  which  thick  smoke  poured  out  with  a tre- 
mendous noise.  In  1783  the  north  side  of  the  crater 
sank  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  This  eruption  de- 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  215 

stroyed  hundreds  of  towns  and  villages  and  killed 
many  people,  turning  a great  stretch  of  land  into  a 
desert.  Even  in  Tokyo  the  ashes  were  about  an  inch 
deep,  and  twenty  miles  from  the  mountain  they  lay 
four  feet  deep.  Rocks  from  fifty  to  eighty  feet  hieh 
were  thrown  great  distances  with  tremendous  force. 
There  were  rocks  which  measured  from  120  to  264 
feet.  One  of  these  fell  into  the  river,  and  forms  an 
island.  The  noise  of  the  eruption  was  heard  as  far 
as  Omi  and  Ise  (190  to  200  miles).  The  walls  of 
the  crater  fall  perpendicularly,  with  spouts  of  steam 
issuing  at  various  points.  Looking  into  it  one  is  re- 
minded of  pictures  of  Dante’s  “Inferno.”  The  rocks 
at  the  sides  of  the  crater  take  the  strangest  forms. 
One  sees  castles,  towers,  and  human  figures,  which 
the  Japanese  insist  are  demons.  I proceeded  to  make 
the  tour  of  the  crater,  and  the  sight  was  sublimely 
terrible.  I hastened  to  reach  a spot  where  there  is 
a great  rift,  and  at  that  moment  Asama  Yama,  angry 
at  such  presumption,  I suppose,  threw  up  clouds  of 
biting  smoke,  choking  us  with  the  odor  of  sulphur. 
There  was  only  one  thing  to  be  done,  and  that  was 
to  run  for  our  lives.  There  have  been  people  so 
overcome  by  this  smoke  that  they  have  never  found 
their  way  out.  We  hastened  as  fast  as  we  could, 
our  guides  sliding,  as  on  an  ice  hill,  soon  reaching  the 
place  where  we  had  left  our  horses.  In  spite  of  the 
protests  of  the  grooms,  we  galloped  back  to  Karui- 
sawa,  where  we  arrived  at  eleven  o’clock,  and,  after 
such  a night,  I threw  myself  on  a couch  and  slept 
soundly  until  dinner. 

On  the  following  day  I took  the  train  to  Toyono, 
and  from  there  continued  my  road  by  jinriksha  to 


21  6 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


Shibu,  which  is  known  as  the  paradise  of  Japan. 
Excepting  for  its  original  situation,  perched  like  a 
swallow’s  nest  on  a rock,  there  was  nothing  extra- 
ordinary about  it. 

Who  has  been  to  Japan  and  not  heard  of  the  won- 
ders of  Miyanoshita,  which,  thanks  to  its  beautiful 
situation  in  the  mountains,  and  its  mineral  springs, 
is  one  of  the  favorite  resorts  of  the  public.  A large, 
comfortable  hotel,  arranged  in  European  style,  is  a 
great  inducement  to  people  to  escape  the  heat  in  sum- 
mer, and  in  winter  there  are  many  people  who  live 
there,  taking  advantage  of  the  hot  baths  and  pleasant 
walks.  Miyanoshita  is  also  known  for  its  wood 
mosaic  work.  There  are  numerous  walks  about 
here.  If  one  does  not  care  to  walk,  one  can  hire  a 
chair  on  two  long  poles,  carried  by  four  carriers. 
Before  leaving  Miyanoshita  you  must  visit  O Jigoku, 
or  Great  Hell,  as  it  is  called.  There  is  also  a Small 
Hell,  called  Ko-Jigoku,  on  the  road  from  Miyano- 
shita to  Asinoyu,  with  strong  sulphur  springs.  The 
whole  place  is  covered  with  vegetation,  but  the  still- 
ness of  the  woods  is  rarely  broken  by  the  song  of  the 
birds.  The  guide  tells  me  that  there  are  in  the  vicin- 
ity foxes,  badgers,  wild  boars,  deer  and  monkeys. 
After  a long  walk  over  the  mountains  the  disappear- 
ance of  the  trees  and  the  strong  smell  of  sulphur 
warned  us  that  we  were  approaching  the  hell.  Black 
rocks  and  the  yellow,  incrusted  earth,  showed  the 
volcanic  origin  of  all  this  region.  A very  narrow 
path  led  among  these  red  and  yellow-covered  stones, 
which  were  strewn  about  in  disorder,  and  from  which 
spouted  forth  streams  of  yellow,  boiling  liquid. 
Farther  on  these  geysers  become  larger,  and  one  is 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  217 

really  walking  on  a volcano.  All  the  thin  crust  of 
earth  is  undermined,  and  you  need  only  stick  your 
cane  in  the  earth  and  a stream  of  boiling  liquid  spouts 
out;  while  in  some  places  the  thin  crust  has  disap- 
peared, and  before  you  is  a pool  seething  with  a 
mass  of  black  and  yellow  liquid,  steaming  and  spout- 
ing. A careless  step,  and  you  will  be  boiled  alive. 
It  has  happened  that  travelers  have  disappeared  in 
this  molten  lake,  or  have  been  so  scalded  that  their 
limbs  had  to  be  amputated.  The  inhabitants  of  this 
region  gather  very  much  sulphur  and  slide  it  down, 
in  straw  bags,  on  a wire,  to  a village  below,  from 
where  it  is  sent  farther  on  pack  horses. 

On  the  following  day  I decided  to  go  with  some 
friends  to  Atami,  but  our  excursion  was  spoiled  by 
the  rain,  which  came  down  in  torrents,  and  only 
stopped  when  we  reached  Hakone,  with  its  deep  lake, 
surrounded  by  steep  shores.  In  Hakone  there  is  a 
palace  where  the  Emperor  stays  sometimes,  and  a 
few  villas  which  are  rented  for  the  summer. 

The  weather  was  merciful  to  us  as  we  came  to  the 
luxuriant  valley  of  Atami.  Lying  on  the  coast,  and 
protected  from  the  north  winds  by  mountains,  Atami 
is  called  the  Riviera  of  Japan.  There  are  hot  springs 
and  a geyser,  which  spouts  up  to  a considerable 
height  six  times  a day.  The  following  day  we  went 
to  Odawara  in  a horsecar,  only,  instead  of  horses  to 
draw  it,  there  were  men.  The  road  following  the 
coast  sometimes  ascends  the  mountain,  sometimes 
drops  to  the  water’s  edge.  It  is  really  dangerous  at 
times,  as  the  men,  using  all  their  strength,  push  the 
car  uphill,  then,  jumping  on,  they  let  it  roll  down  the 
steep  grades.  Of  course  the  speed  increases  at  every 


218  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

turn  of  the  wheel,  and  several  times  our  little  car  left 
the  track,  which  would  have  been  disastrous  had  it 
been  rounding  one  of  the  precipices  which  fall  per- 
pendicularly to  the  sea.  Many  such  accidents  have 
happened,  and  people  have  been  killed  owing  to  the 
carelessness  and  foolhardiness  of  these  coolies. 

A pilgrimage  to  the  sacred  mountain  of  Japan, 
the  Fuji  San,  is  the  dearest  wish  of  a Japanese  heart. 
It  is  the  highest  mountain  of  Japan  (13,000  feet), 
and  a legend  says  that  Fuji  appeared  in  one  night 
like  the  renowned  lake  of  Biwa,  and  this  happened 
in  the  time  of  Alexander  the  Great.  There  is  a tem- 
ple erected  on  the  top  of  the  mountain,  and  there  is  a 
particular  god  of  the  crater.  Until  the  fourteenth 
century  Fuji  San  was  smoking.  The  last  eruption 
was  in  1 707,  when,  it  is  said,  there  appeared  a hump 
on  one  side  of  the  cone,  but  this  small  defect  is  only 
noticed  at  close  range.  The  best  time  for  the  ascent 
is  from  the  15th  of  June  to  the  15th  of  September. 
My  companion  on  this  trip  was  my  teacher  of  Jap- 
anese, and  we  started  on  horseback  at  five  o’clock  in 
the  afternoon  for  the  station  of  Tarobo.  On  the  way 
our  horses  were  frightened  by  the  shrieks  of  the 
crowd  watching  some  wrestlers.  The  road  lies 
through  gardens  and  groves,  with  the  dark  blue  cone 
of  Fuji  San  looming  ever  before  us.  Our  horses,  in 
spite  of  urging,  went  at  a walk,  and  stopped  before 
every  tea-house,  where  the  grooms  washed  the  horses’ 
mouths,  and  invariably  took  tea.  This  beverage  was 
also  offered  to  us  in  small  cups. 

Not  far  from  Tarobo  we  had  to  dismount  and  walk 
the  rest  of  the  way  through  loose  ashes.  All  the 
surrounding  country  is,  of  course,  of  volcanic  origin, 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


219 


which  spreads  to  a distance  of  120  miles  and  more. 
Cultivated  land  on  the  mountain  reaches  a line  1,500 
feet  high,  then  a marshy  stretch  reaches  4,000  feet, 
after  which  there  are  forests  of  distorted  trees.  At 
Tarobo  the  traveler  generally  secures  a long  staff,  on 
which  the  priest  of  Fuji  Yama  puts  the  seal  of  the 
temple.  These  staffs  are  guarded  as  holy  objects  in 
Japanese  families.  For  the  comfort  of  pilgrims  the 
road  is  divided  into  ten  stations,  called  sho,  or  go, 
which  means  vase  in  which  rice  is  measured.  At  the 
spot  where  we  dismounted  absolute  silence  reigned — 
not  a note  of  a bird  was  heard ; and  only  shrubs  were 
to  be  seen,  such  as  Juniper  vacinmn  and  lichen. 
Torrents  had  cut  through  the  masses  of  lava  in 
different  places.  Our  guides  kept  calling,  “There 
is  a station,”  to  encourage  us,  and  we  approach  it 
joyfully,  but  we  find  the  most  forlorn  of  human  hab- 
itations— a sort  of  hut  built  of  great  chunks  of  black 
and  red  lava,  stuck  so  far  into  the  mountain  that  only 
the  front  is  visible.  The  roof  projects  only  a short 
distance,  and  is  covered  with  a pile  of  huge  rocks, 
which  protect  it  from  the  terrible  storms  which  sweep 
the  heights  of  Fuji  San.  The  earth  is  piled  up  be- 
fore the  entrance  so  that  one  has  to  creep  in  as  into  a 
cave.  Inside,  mattings  are  strewn  on  the  floor ; there 
is  a hearth,  but  no  escape  for  the  smoke.  From  the 
15th  of  June  to  the  15th  of  September  there  is  a man 
in  each  of  these  little  stations  who  dispenses  tea ; and 
you  can  also  get  eggs,  and  a very  primitive  Japanese 
dinner.  Provisions  are  kept  there,  for  it  is  the  only 
refuge  in  case  of  storms,  and  at  times  the  pilgrims 
are  imprisoned  in  these  stations  for  two  or  three 
days.  Arriving  at  the  first  station,  we  found  a large 


220  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

company  of  pilgrims  in  white  garments.  Some  were 
reclining  on  quilts,  some  were  eating,  or  preparing 
for  the  ascent ; some  were  singing  a song  to  the  glory 
of  Fuji,  or  murmuring  prayers.  The  farther  we  as- 
cended, the  more  difficult  the  road  became,  and  my 
companion,  who  was  accustomed  to  a sedentary  life, 
was  soon  exhausted,  so  that  my  cook,  who  was  not  at 
all  tired,  put  his  hand  on  his  back  and  pushed  him 
along.  Our  coolies  also  frequently  sat  down  to 
catch  their  breath.  The  sixth  station  was  already 
10,000  feet  high,  and  many  feel  the  height  very  much. 
Frequently  people  feel  a sensation,  as  of  sea-sickness, 
or  have  nosebleed ; but  I felt  nothing,  and  in  spite  of 
fatigue  and  the  desire  of  the  coolies  to  stop  at  the 
station,  we  went  on.  It  was  already  half-past  three, 
when  I decided  to  stop,  and,  cleaning  a corner  of 
matting  and  spreading  a quilt,  I took  my  plaids  for  a 
pillow  and  dropped  to  sleep.  When  I awakened  and 
wished  to  wash,  the  water  was  frozen,  and  my  fingers 
were  aching  with  cold.  From  the  eighth  to  the 
tenth  station  every  step  was  a struggle,  almost  on 
hands  and  knees,  from  rock  to  rock.  Morning 
broke,  and  the  eastern  horizon  flamed  with  the  com- 
ing day.  Pink  and  gold  rays  of  sunlight  pierced  the 
fog,  illumined  the  heights,  and  penetrated  the  valley's. 
At  our  feet  lay  the  beautiful  Yamanaka  Lake,  look- 
ing like  molten  steel ; Oshima,  and  the  coast  as  far  as 
Misashi ; and  on  the  right  rose  the  heights  of  Hak- 
one,  green  shores  and  the  endless  stretch  of  the  sea. 
But  instead  of  the  purely  cut  white  cone,  the  sun 
shone  on  an  ugly  mass  of  indentures  and  crevasses 
formed  by  the  volcano.  At  the  very  top  is  the  little 
temple.  A few  steps,  and  the  crater  opens  before  us 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


221 


like  a gigantic  cup  or  bowl,  half  a mile  broad  and  700 
feet  deep.  Just  then  the  pilgrims  began  to  be  un- 
easy, saying  they  must  hurry  down  to  escape  the  dan- 
ger of  being  caught  in  the  rising  fog.  My  cook  had 
time  to  run  to  the  temple  and  purchase  a talisman 
from  the  priest  to  take  to  his  wife.  The  fog  lifted, 
but  the  wind  blew  such  a gale  that  the  priest  refused 
us  the  permission  to  enter  the  crater,  and  for  my  part 
I was  very  glad. 

The  descent  was  very  much  easier,  especially  slid- 
ing on  the  ashes.  We  reached  Gotemba,  and  found 
the  hotel  filled  with  pilgrims  and  people  getting  ready 
for  the  fete  (matsuri)  at  Yoshida.  It  is  difficult  to 
find  quiet  in  a Japanese  hotel  with  its  paper  parti- 
tions, where  every  sound  is  heard  by  the  neighbors, 
and  nearly  all  is  seen  through  the  cracks.  Upon  this 
occasion  our  neighbors  were  particularly  noisy,  as 
they  were  pilgrims  of  the  higher  class,  and  their 
dining  was  accompanied  by  toasts  and  the  speech  of 
the  president  of  their  society,  who  was  praising  the 
exploit  of  climbing  Fuji  Yama.  Then  the  whole 
company  intoned  a chant  in  honor  of  Fuji.  The 
prayer  was  like  a murmur,  broken  by  sudden  wild 
cries,  and  was  certainly  not  melodious. 

From  Gotemba  we  drove  to  Yoshida  in  a carriage, 
by  a very  bad  road,  and,  passing  a beautiful  lake, 
our  driver  told  us  that  a spirit  inhabited  the  lake,  and 
that  Japanese  were  afraid  to  go  near  it  at  night  for 
fear  of  being  drawn  into  the  water.  In  Yoshida  the 
streets  were  full  of  people,  and  the  little  booths  had 
toys  and  sweets  and  small  articles  for  sale,  and  at 
every  ten  steps  were  piles  of  wood  seven  feet  or  more 
high.  In  other  places  great  wooden  columns  of  20 


222  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

feet  were  prepared,  and  in  the  evening,  when  all  these 
piles  and  columns  were  set  burning,  it  made  a most 
original  illumination,  to  say  nothing  of  thousands  of 
lanterns.  The  festival  is  called  “hi”  matsuri,  or  fire 
matsuri,  and  as  these  colossal  torches  and  piles  are 
very  near  the  houses,  great  care  must  be  taken  to 
prevent  a general  conflagration.  Water  is  poured 
on  the  roofs  of  the  houses,  and  the  fire  department 
is  always  ready  for  active  service.  In  Kodachi,  on 
the  shores  of  a pretty  lake,  we  met  a tremendous 
number  of  children.  While  waiting  for  the  boat  I 
went  to  visit  a temple,  where  some  very  fine  draw- 
ings on  the  sliding  walls  are  preserved,  and  some 
very  good  carving  in  wood. 

Across  the  lake,  which  is  deep,  and  in  which  are 
large  islands,  we  stopped  at  Isinoumi,  where  there  is 
no  hotel,  and  where  we  put  up  in  the  first  house  we 
came  to,  much  to  the  discomfort  of  the  host.  On 
account  of  the  mosquitoes  every  Japanese  house  has 
its  big  net  made  of  grass,  and  colored  dark  green, 
which  takes  up  nearly  the  whole  room,  and  under 
which  the  whole  family  finds  shelter.  In  this  hum- 
ble fisherman’s  hut  I found  a number  of  rich  lac- 
quered screens  which  would  have  delighted  lovers 
of  Japanese  art.  The  journey  had  to  be  continued 
on  foot  through  the  pouring  rain,  and  it  continued  to 
stream  until  we  arrived  at  Lake  Sedzi.  On  the 
opposite  shore  stood  a real  European  house,  built  by 
an  Englishman,  who  became  a Japanese  subject  and 
adopted  a Japanese  name.  My  coolies  and  cook 
nearly  burst  their  lungs  hallooing  “Hosino  San.” 
Soon  we  saw  a boat  put  off  from  the  white  house. 
It  was  the  master  himself,  who  with  difficulty  seated 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  223 

us  in  his  small  shell  and  rowed  us  back.  The  lake  is 
beautiful,  nestled  in  among  mountains  covered  with 
forests,  and  is  very  deep  and  perfectly  clear.  Straight 
in  front  of  us  rose  the  white  cone  of  Fuji  San,  but, 
better  than  all,  I had  found  at  last  a European  house 
with  real  beds  and  some  comforts  of  European  life. 
I thought  only  of  rest  and  quiet  after  my  long  wan- 
derings. Toward  evening  a great  storm  swept  over 
the  place,  and  as  the  house  was  built  on  an  exposed 
promontory,  it  got  the  full  brunt  of  it.  It  was  im- 
possible to  sleep,  to  say  nothing  of  the  ravages  made 
by  wind  and  rain.  The  rest  of  my  journey  was  ac- 
complished with  great  difficulty  on  foot,  on  account 
of  swollen  streams  and  almost  impassable  roads. 
But  I finished  this  trip  by  a boat  ride  through  the 
rapids  of  Fujikawa,  and  there  were  moments  when 
we  were  in  great  danger  of  being  upset  into  the 
whirlpool  of  this  boiling  river. 


IN  SOUTHERN  JAPAN. 

Chapter  XX 

The  role  of  Nagasaki  in  Japan’s  enlightenment — European 
settlement — Arrival  of  the  Prime  Minister — Japanese 
auction. 

The  Inland  Sea,  celebrated  for  its  beauty,  begins 
from  Kobe.  On  a still,  bright  sunny  day,  when  the 
sea,  sparkling  like  diamonds,  softly  laps  the  shore, 
one  can  easily  imagine  it  a broad,  quiet  river.  A 
countless  mass  of  islands,  as  in  Matsushima,  with 
their  peculiar  shapes,  their  vivid,  succulent  vegeta- 
tion, sprinkled  over  the  blue,  shining  sea,  smooth  as 
glass,  delight  the  eye.  The  English  are  right  in 
speaking  of  it  as  a corner  of  paradise  or  the  home 
of  the  fairies.  Not  fairies,  however,  but  living,  toil- 
ing humanity  inhabit  this  peaceful  region.  Wher- 
ever the  eye  falls  there  is  evidence  of  man’s  labor. 
All  these  islands  are  cultivated  to  the  highest  point 
and  fields  rise  like  terraces  one  above  the  other. 
Farther  there  is  a village,  clinging  to  the  top  of  an 
island  and  almost  buried  in  green.  A great  flotilla 
of  junks  fune  (sailboats)  glide  and  flit  about  like 
white  butterflies  over  the  blue  waves.  Approaching 
the  shore,  it  seems  suddenly  to  separate,  and  before 
you  lies  a blue  lake,  beyond  it  a second  and  a third, 
surrounded  by  gardens,  fields,  rocks,  woods,  and  vil- 
lages. The  eye  never  tires  with  the  sight  of  this 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  225 

variety  and  richness  of  nature.  After  passing  sev- 
eral hours  at  Shimonoseki,  we  came  out  in  the  open 
sea.  Then  more  islands,  with  steep,  rocky  sides. 
Here  is  Hirado,  where  Francis  Xavier  began 
preaching  Christianity.  Then  wonderful  basalt 
rocks  in  the  form  of  a porte  cochere.  A little 
farther  on  we  reach  a beautiful  bay  ornamented  with 
small  islands,  and  here  is  Nagasaki,  which  during  its 
long  life  has  lived  through  many  interesting  events. 
In  Nagasaki,  if  the  reader  remembers  the  historical 
sketch,  first  flourished  Christianity.  In  the  sixteenth 
century,  when  Christianity  was  uprooted  from 
Japan,  Nagasaki  remained  the  last  shelter  of  Eu- 
ropean civilization  in  the  shape  of  the  colony  of 
Dutch  in  Dezima.  In  spite  of  strict  surveillance 
over  the  so-called  prisoners  of  Dezima  it  was  impos- 
sible that  some  rays  of  European  civilization  should 
not  reach  the  Japanese  public.  The  Japanese  bor- 
rowed, first  of  all,  surgery  and  medicine.  The  pos- 
sessor of  European  books  risked  his  head ; but  there 
are  always  people  who  will  take  risks  for  something 
forbidden.  In  Nagasaki  began  the  reform  move- 
ment in  Japan.  In  that  time  there  were  two  parties, 
the  conservative  having  its  stronghold  in  Kyoto,  and 
the  progressive  in  Nagasaki. 

Ito  Inouye  saw  in  Nagasaki  the  folly  of  further 
resisting  the  European  pressure.  There  Okuma, 
Goto,  Itagaki  and  Mutsu,  those  well-known  self- 
made  men  in  Japanese  history,  began  with  all  their 
strength  to  prepare  the  reform  movement.  In  Nag- 
asaki, Iwasaki,  who  receives  an  income  of  millions, 
began  his  career.  At  the  entrance  of  the  Nagasaki 
bay  lies  a rocky  island,  Takaboko,  or,  as  the  Dutch 


226  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

called  it,  Pappenberg.  Legend  says  that  from  the 
high  cliffs  of  the  island  the  Catholic  fathers  and  their 
followers  were  cast  into  the  sea.  At  the  present  time 
it  has  lost  its  gruesome  reputation,  and  the  European 
society  takes  advantage  of  it  as  a picnic  ground,  and 
during  the  hot  weather  it  is  a favorite  bathing  place. 
Protected  on  all  sides  by  high  mountains,  Nagasaki 
hay  is  a favorite  of  the  sailors  of  all  nations,  and  it 
leaves  by  its  beauty  a strong  and  ineffaceable  impres- 
sion on  the  spectator.  However  beautiful  a place  is, 
it  generally  finishes  by  palling  on  one.  It  is  not  the 
case  with  Nagasaki — the  longer  one  stays  the  more 
one  is  delighted  with  the  fine  outline  of  the  moun- 
tains bordering  the  bay,  the  richness  and  succulence 
of  the  vegetation  with  its  countless  colors  and  shad- 
ings, with  the  changing  sea,  now  gray  and  angry, 
now  blue  and  caressing,  or  like  a great  cup  of  molten 
steel,  then  flooded  with  purple  light  by  the  setting 
sun.  Thanks  to  the  climate,  the  vegetation  is  lux- 
urious and  rich  in  color.  These  are  not  the  moun- 
tains of  Greece,  burnt  by  the  sun,  or  of  Sicily,  but  in 
every  sense  tropical,  where  nature  is  so  full  of  life 
that  it  bursts  all  bonds  and  knows  not  how  to  spend 
its  force.  But  this  climate,  alas,  is  not  healthy,  and 
is  particularly  bad  in  the  rain}'-  season. 

There  is  no  necessity  to  speak  of  the  European  set- 
tlement, as  it  differs  in  no  way  from  the  European 
settlements  in  Kobe  and  Yokohama.  The  same 
villas,  surrounded  by  gardens;  European  hotels, 
where  the  table  is  good;  two  clubs;  a quay  on 
which  are  situated  all  the  offices,  post,  telegraph 
and  steamship  companies.  There  are  saloons  with 
pianos  and  stramonium;  intoxicating  stuff  which 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


227 


they  put  in  the  drinks  for  the  sailors  of  all  nations. 
Until  the  opening  of  Japan  only  the  Dutch  had  the 
right  to  live  in  Dezima,  and  we  know  by  Kaempfer 
in  what  wretched  conditions  they  were  held  by  the 
Japanese;  but  since  then  all  has  changed,  and  Dezima 
is  no  more  an  island.  The  current  of  the  river  has 
been  turned,  the  canal  has  been  filled  up,  and  in  its 
place  is  a great  square ; and  even  there  are  no  more 
Dutch.  Germans  have  taken  their  place  in  Naga- 
saki, and  the  last  vestige  of  old  Dezima  is  the  Dezima 
bazaar,  where  they  sell  the  Arima  pottery.  Not  far 
from  the  European  settlement  is  the  Chinese  quarter, 
distinguished  for  its  filth,  bad  smells,  and  dirty  in- 
habitants. The  principal  industry  of  Nagasaki  is  its 
tortoise-shell  works.  Everybody  knows  the  tortoise- 
shell man  Yesaki,  who  artistically  works  in  tortoise 
shell  models  of  ships,  fune,  junks,  etc.  The  term 
“tortoise-shell  man”  is  a literal  translation  of  the 
Japanese,  who  like  to  give  such  surnames.  Thus  a 
man  who  was  a photographer  by  trade  was  always 
known  as  “dog  man,”  because  he  had  had  at  one  time 
a dog. 

The  principal  attraction  for  the  naval  officers  is 
Inossa,  a little  village  at  the  end  of  the  bay,  and 
every  one  who  has  read  Pierre  Loti  knows  Madame 
Chrysantheme.  Like  her,  all  these — Oyuki,  Oya 
San,  Aniwa  San — look  upon  the  matter  quite  prac- 
tically. from  the  money  standpoint.  Love  does  not 
enter  into  these  family  arrangements,  and  when  A 
goes  away,  she  says,  “The  king  is  dead ; long  live  the 
king,”  and  goes  over  to  B,  and  so  on  to  C and  D,  until 
she  is  an  old  woman.  Many  of  them  save  up  a cap- 
ital, and  if  it  is  not  too  late  they  marry  a peasant,  a 


228  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

small  tradesman,  or  an  innkeeper.  Then,  according 
to  Japanese  custom,  they  blacken  their  teeth,  shave 
their  brows,  and  become  respectable  mothers  of  fam- 
ilies. Sometimes  they  are  mothers  before,  but  very 
seldom.  It  is  curious  how  the  idea  is  general  in 
Europe  that  in  Japan  one  can  marry  for  a certain 
term,  say  a month.  But  this  is  one  of  the  many 
fables  which  I must  refute  as  a great  mistake.  Even 
the  hero  of  Pierre  Loti  says,  “I  am  going  to  marry.” 
These  ladies,  or,  as  they  are  called,  “officers’  wives,” 
are  simply  “mekake,”  or  concubines,  and  are  recog- 
nized as  such  by  the  Japanese  authorities.  Such 
women  can  be  had  for  a term  from  any  street  in 
Europe,  and  one  need  not  go  to  Japan  to  find  them. 
But  the  manners  of  this  class  are  so  refined  that  they 
give  the  impression  of  being  quite  comme  il  font. 
As  for  marriage  as  it  is  understood  by  the  Japanese, 
we  will  speak  of  it  later. 

Soon  after  my  arrival  I was  one  of  the  guests  at  a 
reception  tendered  to  Count  Ito.  The  public  garden, 
celebrated  for  its  gigantic  camphor  trees,  was  il- 
luminated with  Japanese  lanterns.  Apropos,  let  me 
say  a word  about  the  camphor  trees  and  the  way  the 
camphor  is  extracted  from  them.  The  wood  of  the 
tree  is  cut  in  small  pieces  and  boiled  in  water.  When 
it  is  cold  the  crystal  formation  on  the  top  is  cam- 
phor. The  roots  of  the  old  trees  are  the  richest  in 
camphor,  and  bring  great  prices.  To  return  to  the 
reception.  The  terraces  and  paths  were  filled  with 
a gay  crowd.  In  one  of  the  booths,  near  a stone 
which  stands  there  in  commemoration  of  General 
Grant’s  visit,  a small  theatre  had  been  arranged,  and 
geishas  amused  the  public  with  dance  and  song.  In 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  229 

the  Koshinkwan  (house  of  friendship)  the  crowd 
was  different.  Europeans  and  Japanese  in  evening 
dress  and  naval  officers  in  uniform  were  looking  at 
the  lions  of  the  evening,  Count  Ito,  the  Prime  Min- 
ister, and  the  Minister  of  War,  Count  Oyama,  who, 
on  their  part,  were  shyly  gazing  back  at  the  elegant 
crowd,  shifting  from  one  foot  to  the  other.  On  the 
faces  of  most  of  those  who  looked  curiously  at  the 
small,  timid-looking  figure  of  the  Prime  Minister, 
one  could  read  plainly  the  thought,  “Is  it  possible 
that  this  shy-looking  man  is  one  of  the  principal 
actors  in  this  great  revolution  ? Is  it  possible  that  he 
assisted  the  downfall  of  feudalism  and  made  the 
Constitution?”  The  British  consul  made  a short 
speech  in  the  name  of  the  Europeans.  Count  Ito 
replied  in  English.  His  voice  trembled  at  first,  but 
afterwards  he  made  a tolerably  good  speech,  after 
which  reigned  silence;  no  one  seemed  to  know  what 
to  do ; however,  a supper  and  ball  brought  the  even- 
ing to  a successful  close.  Soon  after  I was  invited 
by  several  of  the  officers  of  the  visiting  squadron  to 
make  an  excursion  on  foot  to  the  waterfall.  We  de- 
cided to  take  jinrikshas  through  the  town,  but  we 
were  to  make  the  rest  of  the  way  on  foot,  the  jinrik- 
shas following.  In  spite  of  its  being  the  month  of 
December,  the  sun  broiled  mercilessly,  and  the  climb 
up  the  mountain  was  so  fatiguing  that  we  were 
obliged  to  take  a rest.  The  heights  are  so  covered 
with  fields  or  groves  of  camelia  trees,  magnolias, 
great  masses  of  flowers,  and  the  slender,  graceful 
bamboo,  with  its  fresh  green,  beautiful  fan-like 
palms,  that  one  is  oblivious  of  the  fact  that  there  is 
winter  with  snow  and  frost  in  other  parts  of  the 
world.  We  continued  our  route,  not  by  the  good 


230  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

highway,  but,  taking  a short  cut  through  an  old 
path,  we  could  judge  of  the  roads  of  Japan  before 
the  restoration.  The  feudal  lords  left  them  ex- 
pressly in  such  bad  condition  as  a means  of  protec- 
tion for  themselves.  Descending  by  paths  like  great, 
rocky  staircases,  we  reached  a village  in  which  lived 
a former  mousme  of  one  of  the  officers.  Now  she 
was  married  to  a Japanese  and  the  mother  of  a large 
family.  In  spite  of  her  blackened  teeth  and  shaved 
eyebrows,  she  was  nice  looking,  and  according  to 
Japanese  custom  we  took  tea  before  continuing  our 
journey.  From  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  at  the 
village  of  Himi,  there  is  a view  out  over  the  dark 
blue  bay.  Several  of  us  were  already  tired,  and  the 
captain  of  the  Vestnik  grumblingly  dragged  behind. 
“Leave  him  alone,”  said  the  others;  “we  have  the 
beer,  and  he  will  follow.”  Near  the  waterfall  we 
found  the  inevitable  small  temple  with  the  mon- 
strous-looking guardian  gods,  the  Japanese  Gog  and 
Magog.  We  sat  long  on  the  terrace  of  the  bonzas 
house,  admiring  the  waterfall,  and  still  our  grum- 
bling captain  did  not  appear.  We  made  up  our 
minds  that  he  must  have  returned  home,  when  sud- 
denly, with  his  face  flushed,  out  of  breath  and  drag- 
ging his  feet,  he  came  up  to  the  terrace,  his  first 
words  being,  “Is  there  any  beer?”  There  was  only 
one  bottle  left,  and  he  drained  it,  throwing  the  bottle 
into  the  foaming  waterfall  as  an  offering  to  the  gods. 
The  day  of  the  departure  of  the  warship  Vestnik 
there  was  a farewell  breakfast  on  board.  A great 
table  was  laden  with  viands  and  delicacies,  and  the 
crowd  of  visitors  filled  the  ship  until  not  even  an 
apple  could  drop  to  the  floor.  Toast  followed  toast, 
and  good-bys  were  said.  But  the  officers  must  be 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  231 

ready  to  start,  although  some  of  their  heads  are 
whirling  from  so  many  farewells  and  toasts,  and 
finally  the  visitors  must  leave  the  ship,  while  the 
Vestnik,  with  a long  pennant  flying  in  the  wind,  sails 
out  of  the  harbor.  Crowds  of  funes  (Japanese 
boats)  filled  with  mousme,  accompany  the  ship  for 
a time,  and  the  sailors  as  a parting  souvenir  throw 
their  caps  in  the  water,  and  the  boatmen  scramble  to 
pick  them  up.  As  the  Vestnik  passes  other  war- 
ships she  is  greeted  by  cheers  and  music.  It  is  only 
for  a moment ; the  ship  disappears  behind  the  prom- 
ontory, and  the  port  resumes  its  every-day  life. 

Alexander  Siga,  former  secretary  of  the  Japanese 
legation  in  St.  Petersburg,  now  living  as  a private 
citizen  in  Nagasaki,  proposed  to  me  and  several  of 
the  officers  to  go  to  a Japanese  auction,  and  of 
course  I thought  it  would  be  like  a European  auc- 
tion, hut  I was  mistaken.  The  cjuick  auctioneering 
in  Europe  does  not  suit  the  Oriental.  All  the 
crowd  is  seated  on  mattings  (we  found  some 
benches),  and  every  object  is  handed  to  every  one  in 
the  room,  each  person  examining  it  closely.  If  it  is 
ornamented  with  silver  or  gold  the  Japanese  will 
test  it.  With  the  object  is  handed  something  like  a 
post-box,  and  the  Japanese,  after  deciding  carefully 
about  the  value  of  the  object,  writes  on  a little  ticket 
how  much  he  will  give,  and  drops  it  into  the  box. 
When  the  object  has  made  the  rounds  the  auctioneer 
opens  the  box,  sorts  the  tickets,  and  the  one  who  has 
offered  the  highest  price  gets  the  thing.  At  this 
moment,  when  the  highest  bid  is  proclaimed,  you 
can  cry  “teppo”  (gun),  and  raise  the  price,  when 
sometimes  an  auction  such  as  we  are  accustomed  to 
follows. 


Chapter  XXI 


Trip  to  the  island  of  Kiushiu — A new  way  of  locomotion — 
Kagoshima,  residence  of  the  Satsuma  prince — Ancient  war- 
dance — Kumamoto  and  the  Governor — The  courtesan 
quarter — Ascent  of  the  volcano  Aso-San — Shimabara,  the 
last  stronghold  of  Christianity. 

Few  people  visit  the  parts  of  the  island  of  Kiushiu 
that  I did,  as  most  foreigners  content  themselves 
with  the  vicinity  of  Nagasaki.  My  way  led  east  of 
Nagasaki  to  a small  place  called  Mogi.  In  all  direc- 
tions the  eye  rests  on  fields  of  sugar  cane,  indigo, 
sweet  potato,  millet,  and  rice.  The  cultivation  of 
the  ground  is  almost  exemplary,  although  the  agri- 
cultural implements  are  most  primitive.  Passing 
the  cemetery,  a fine  view  opens  on  the  town  with  its 
gray  roofs  against  the  blue  bay,  which  looks  like  a 
lake  sunk  in  the  mountains.  At  the  summit  there  is 
a tiny  Japanese  inn,  where  some  Japanese  were 
feasting  and  had  taken  too  much  sake.  One  cannot 
but  admire  the  manner  in  which  the  Japanese  con- 
struct their  new  roads.  Here,  for  instance,  they 
have  cut  a gorge  through  the  mountain  simply  to 
shorten  the  way.  From  the  summit  our  kurumayas 
went  down  zigzag  at  a dizzy  pace.  This  slope  of 
the  mountain  was  particularly  beautiful.  The  fields 
were  fewer,  but  the  mountain  was  covered  with 
bright  vegetation,  especially  the  bamboo,  with  its 
brilliant  green  and  its  slender,  graceful  form.  It  is 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  233 

said  in  Japan  that  not  a single  crooked  bamboo  tree 
can  be  found,  and  it  plays  a great  role  in  the  house- 
hold of  the  Japanese.  What  do  they  not  use  bamboo 
for?  Even  the  young  sprouts  are  used  for  food. 
The  lovers  of  flowers  will  go  into  raptures  over  the 
enormous  camelias,  which  do  not  resemble  much  our 
poor  hothouse  plants,  for  in  Japan  the  camelia  is  a 
large  tree,  with  a thick  trunk,  and  there  are  whole 
forests  of  them.  Looking  down  over  this  slope,  one 
lady  of  our  company  exclaimed,  “What  a beautiful 
carpet!  Really,  it  would  be  difficult  to  arrange  a 
more  magnificent  scene.”  Dear  lady,  when  could 
theatre  scenery  or  a picture  equal  the  wonderful  cre- 
ations of  nature  in  the  richness  and  inexhaustible  va^ 
riety  of  her  manifestations? 

The  gorge  widens  and  widens,  and  we  are  on  the 
shore  of  a small  bay  at  Mogi.  Seeing  foreigners 
approaching,  the  children  came  out  in  shoals  to  meet 
us,  with  cries  of  “Oranda  jin”  (Dutch  people).  It 
is  curious,  considering  the  foreigners  of  all  nations 
who  visit  Nagasaki,  how  the  common  people  con- 
tinue to  call  them  Dutch. 

Looking  at  this  crowd  of  children  one  wonders 
who  could  become  enthusiastic  about  them.  Is  there 
anything  more  filthy,  more  repugnant,  or  more  un- 
pleasant to  look  at  than  these  crowds  of  dirty-nosed 
ragamuffins,  who  never  use  a handkerchief?  Two 
out  of  every  three  have  some  skin  disease,  with  scabs 
on  their  heads  or  faces.  Can  they  be  pretty?  There 
are  certainly  a few  exceptions.  Dr.  Zander  had  the 
evil  inspiration  to  go  into  a shop  and  buy  a large 
quantity  of  tiny  combs,  mirrors,  and  other  small  ob- 
jects, which  he  began  to  distribute  to  the  children. 


234  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

It  was  very  gay  and  funny  at  first,  but  soon  the 
whole  population  was  on  foot  dogging  our  footsteps, 
until  we  were  glad  to  escape  to  the  shelter  of  the 
hotel. 

The  whistle  blew,  and  I was  obliged  to  bid  good- 
by  to  my  friends  and  take  the  little  steamer  to  cross 
the  bay.  What  a steamer!  No  sooner  had  we 
started  than  it  began  to  rock  so  terrifically  that 
every  one  disappeared  into  the  hold.  There  it  was 
worse,  for  the  close  air  and  sight  of  sick  people  was 
simply  unbearable,  while,  to  cap  the  climax,  one 
stupid  woman  was  beating  her  child  for  being  sea- 
sick. But  one  could  not  remain  on  deck,  as  the  ship 
rolled  so  far  over,  first  on  one  side  and  then  on  the 
other,  that  it  seemed  as  if  she  would  never  right  her- 
self, and  the  waves  washed  the  deck.  Nothing  hap- 
pened, however,  and  the  evening  brought  us  to  Tom- 
ioka,  on  the  island  of  Amakusa.  The  old  burgo- 
master, with  ancient  Japanese  coiffure,  who  is  also 
the  innkeeper,  showed  us  the  ruins  and  the  grounds 
of  the  old  castle  of  Tomioka. 

From  Tomioka  to  Hondo  a mountainous  path 
leads,  which,  I must  say,  is  terrible.  Kagos  were 
prepared  for  Siga  San,  who  acted  as  my  interpreter, 
and  myself.  But  I must  tell  you  what  a kago  is  like. 
It  is  a sort  of  litter,  consisting  of  a compact  basket- 
work  box,  which  holds  one  person  if  you  double  your 
feet  under  you.  It  is  swung  on  a long  pole,  the  ends 
of  which  rests  on  a cushion  on  the  shoulders  of  the 
natives.  There  are  generally  two,  sometimes  four 
carriers,  who  stop  every  five  minutes  to  shift  the 
pole  to  the  other  shoulder.  If  you  squat  Japanese 
fashion  it  is  tolerable;  but  as  this  is  impossible  for 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


235 


the  European,  he  must  lie  down!  then  the  question 
is,  where  can  he  put  his  legs,  for  the  kago  is  ar- 
ranged for  the  small  Japanese  stature.  After  trying 
it  for  a few  moments  I was  obliged  to  get  out  and 
walk.  Siga  San  and  the  cook  were  very  comfort- 
able, and  even  took  a nap  as  they  balanced  along  in 
their  rocking  kagos.  The  ascent  of  the  mountain  by 
this  stony  path  was  very  difficult,  but  we  were  well 
repaid  by  the  delightful  view.  Below  us  lay  Shima- 
bara,  Onsen,  Kabashima,  Mogi  with  its  little  bay, 
the  broad  sea  with  its  fantastic-shaped  shores,  and 
the  pearl,  Amakusa,  with  its  green  mountains — the 
wonderful  forest  stretching  far,  with  no  vestige  of 
habitation.  Flowers  are  blooming  riotously  among 
the  trees,  birds  are  singing,  and  pheasants  and  whole 
flocks  of  ducks  taunt  the  lover  of  the  hunt.  In 
Hondo,  Siga  San  found  an  acquaintance,  who  in- 
vited us  to  take  pot-luck,  and  gave  us  all  sorts  of 
Japanese  dishes — eel,  awabi,  pea  soup,  and  preserved 
Japanese  “kaki.” 

On  the  following  day  we  took  a sailing  boat  to 
Kame  no  tsu  (rice  bay).  Fortunately  the  sea  was 
caressing  and  gentle,  and  we  could  quietly  enjoy  the 
lovely  islands  sprinkled  along  the  coast,  and  the  far- 
off  line  of  mountains,  enveloped  in  lilac  mist;  but, 
on  the  other  hand,  the  wind  died  out,  and  we  drifted 
about  from  ten  in  the  morning  until  sunset. 

Kame  no  tsu  is  a poor  little  village,  with  houses 
covered  with  straw  roofs.  There  were  no  jinrik- 
shas,  and  our  only  consolation  was  that  we  could  get 
pack-horses.  The  house  where  we  passed  the  night 
was  literally  made  of  paper,  and  it  was  very  cold. 
Starting  next  day,  we  tried  a new  way  of  riding. 


236  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

On  a saddle  of  native  make,  with  the  packs  on  both 
sides,  on  a pillow  between  them,  I sat  with  my  feet 
stretched  out  on  the  horse’s  neck.  There  are  no  stir- 
rups, of  course,  and  you  are  kept  in  place  by  sheer 
force  of  equilibrium,  which  is  disturbed,  however, 
when  the  horse  goes  down  hill  and  you  slide  down 
onto  his  neck.  After  several  days  of  riding  this 
way,  however,  I became  accustomed  to  it.  The 
horses  are  never  shod,  but  wear  something  like  straw 
mittens,  which  necessarily  are  changed  often. 

The  field  culture  here  is  most  varied,  producing 
cotton,  indigo,  rice,  millet,  barley,  hemp,  sugar  cane, 
tobacco,  sweet  potatoes,  and  all  sorts  of  vegetables. 
The  camelia  is  so  plentiful  that  it  is  used  as  fire- 
wood. 

Before  arriving  at  Akuna  we  met  a gay  crowd 
coming  from  Matsuri,  accompanied  by  priests  and  a 
marionette  theatre ; all  the  peasants  laden  with  flow- 
ers and  sweets. 

The  picturesque  surroundings  of  Akuna  reminds 
me  of  the  Crimea,  especially  of  the  road  between 
Yalta  and  Gourzouf.  To  my  regret  the  roads  are 
not  Crimean.  We  went  partly  along  the  beach,  then 
ascended  suddenly  until  the  horses  fairly  scrambled 
over  the  rocks.  It  seemed  that  horse,  with  pack  and 
rider,  would  disappear  into  the  crevasses  instead  of 
jumping  them.  But  there  are  moments  when  one 
forgets  all  in  the  wild  beauty  of  the  landscape,  with 
great  rocks  jutting  out  of  the  sea,  bathed  in  the  sun- 
set rays. 

From  Nishikata  the  country  is  thickly  populated. 
There  are  many  villages  along  the  way,  many  labor- 
ers working  on  the  government  road,  and  strings  of 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  237 

pedestrians.  Here  I got  a glimpse  of  the  traditional 
Japanese  postman,  running  with  his  mail  from  one 
village  to  another.  In  the  village  the  peasants  were 
busy  thrashing,  which  is  done  generally  by  firelight. 
The  grain  ear  is  detached  from  the  stalk  by  a comb, 
then  all  the  ears  are  piled  together  and  the  grains  are 
hammered  out. 

Half  way  between  Sendai  and  Ichiku  is  a silver 
mine  with  about  fifty  workmen,  who  receive  from 
three  to  six  yen  pay  a month  ($1  to  $3). 

I had  been  told  that  since  the  last  uprising  the  in- 
habitants of  Satsuma  disliked  foreigners  very  much, 
but  I did  not  notice  it.  They  seemed  a very  gay, 
good-hearted  people,  laughing  at  the  simplest  thing. 
In  the  village  of  Naeshirogawa  is  a porcelain  manu- 
factory. 

From  Isuin  we  crossed  a table-land  with  an  ex- 
tended view  over  the  neighboring  mountains,  then 
the  road  descends  abruptly  to  Kagoshima,  the  chief 
city  of  the  province,  on  the  shore  of  a beautiful  bay 
dotted  with  islands.  It  was  once  a populous  city  re- 
nowned for  its  handsome  buildings.  In  August, 
1863.  after  the  murder  of  Robertson  by  the  samurai 
of  the  Kagoshima  prince,  it  was  bombarded  by  the 
English  fleet.  The  fortress  was  destroyed  and  the 
town  enveloped  in  flames,  a typhoon  assisting  the 
work  of  destruction.  At  the  time  of  the  Satsuma 
uprising  the  town  was  taken  by  the  Imperial  armies 
and  burned  a second  time. 

The  province  of  Satsuma  is  rich  in  gold,  silver, 
tin,  copper,  sulphur,  camphor,  saltpeter,  tobacco, 
sweet  potatoes,  sugar  cane,  tea,  indigo,  wax  trees, 


238 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


lemons,  oranges,  and  watermelons.  The  inhabitants 
make  matting,  cotton  stuffs,  and  porcelain. 

Passing  through  the  town,  Siga  San  noticed  a 
Greek  orthodox  cross  on  one  of  the  houses,  which 
turned  out  to  be  the  dwelling  of  the  orthodox  Jap- 
anese priest.  We  called  upon  him,  and,  receiving 
us  very  cordially,  he  showed  us  the  little  church,  and 
told  us  that  there  were  one  hundred  and  seventy-six 
orthodox  in  Kagoshima.  I remarked  that  the  in- 
habitants of  Kagoshima  are  not  of  the  ordinary  Jap- 
anese type,  for  I saw  many  people  with  regular 
profiles.  Siga  San  also  assured  me  that  he  could  not 
understand  well  all  that  the  common  people  speak 
among  themselves.  After  seeing  the  town  we  re- 
paired to  the  Satsuma  factory,  where  the  porcelain 
is  celebrated  for  the  lightness  of  its  weight  and  its 
particular  cream  color,  the  glaze  of  which  is  crackled 
all  over  as  if  a fine  net  were  spread  over  it. 

We  saw  the  modellers  at  work,  and  were  surprised 
at  the  richness  of  imagination  of  these  simple  work- 
men, who  produce  most  lifelike  figures  and  faces, 
and,  although  they  have  never  studied  anatomy,  the 
movements  of  the  body  are  well  indicated.  True, 
the  Japanese  artist  does  not  need  to  retire  to  a studio 
to  get  models — he  has  only  to  observe  in  the  streets 
to  find  plenty  of  material.  But  to  think  that  these 
modellers  receive  from  twelve  to  twenty-five  cents  a 
day ! The  one  who  makes  the  drawings  does  not  re- 
ceive more  than  fifty  cents  a day.  Among  the  chefs- 
d’oeuvre  of  the  Satsuma  art,  which  were  compara- 
tively cheap,  we  saw  articles  made  especially  for  Eu- 
ropeans to  be  sold  for  old  Satsuma. 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  239 

“Why  do  you  mark  these  articles  with  the  old 
arms  of  the  Satsuma  prince,  when  the  factory  does 
not  belong  any  more  to  the  prince?”  I asked  one  of 
the  overseers.  “The  foreigners  give  more  for  them, 
thinking  that  they  are  old  Satsuma,”  was  the  answer. 

From  the  porcelain  factory  we  went  to  the  cotton 
manufactory.  What  surprised  me  was  the  low 
wages  of  the  workmen  (from  one  and  a half  to  four 
cents  a day),  feeding  themselves.  When  I ex- 
pressed my  astonishment  I was  told  that  there  were 
many  workmen  who  received  nothing  during  their 
apprenticeship.  Not  far  from  there  is  the  delightful 
park  of  the  Satsuma  prince,  and  one  of  my  pleasant- 
est recollections  is  connected  with  it.  When  the 
Heir  Apparent,  now  the  Emperor  of  Russia,  visited 
Japan,  I was  in  his  suite  when  he  visited  this  prov- 
ince, and  the  Satsuma  prince  prepared  a festival  in 
his  honor,  which  was  held  in  this  park.  One  of  the 
features  of  the  entertainment  was  the  old  war-dance 
and  march  executed  by  all  the  prince’s  retainers, 
dressed  in  the  ancient  Japanese  armor.  We  all  wit- 
nessed this  spectacle  from  a box,  in  company  with 
the  Prince  himself,  who  wore  a frock-coat.  As  the 
exercises  went  on  the  Emperor  in  a whisper  re- 
marked, “Look,  the  Prince  has  tears  in  his  eyes.” 
Surely  a vision  of  old  Japan,  with  its  past  glories 
and  grandeur,  was  passing  through  his  mind. 

From  Iso  the  road  winds  along  the  coast.  Al- 
though the  Satsuma  prince  was  renowned  for  his 
wealth,  he  did  very  little  for  the  welfare  of  his  pos- 
sessions. The  road  is  awful,  the  country  deserted ; 
only  rocks,  with  here  and  there  a hut.  The  inhabi- 
tants are  fisherfolk,  and  men,  women,  and  children 


240  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

walk  about  the  streets  perfectly  naked.  Profiting 
by  the  warm  weather,  I donned  a white  suit,  but  soon 
regretted  it,  as  it  seemed  to  attract  myriads  of  flies. 

In  Kadziki  we  had  to  take  pack-horses.  The  road 
as  far  as  Misobe  reminds  one  of  Switzerland,  with 
its  wild  grandeur,  and  is  worthy  of  the  brush  of 
Calame.  About  midday  the  Kirishiina  volcano  be- 
gan to  puff  out  smoke,  and  at  moments  we  could  see 
the  bay  of  Kagoshima,  with  its  active  volcano,  Saku- 
rajima.  From  Misobe,  on  the  mountain  road,  we 
passed  a gold  mine,  and  on  the  mountain  near  Ku- 
rino  a geyser  was  spouting  with  great  energy.  The 
road  from  Yoshida  to  Stoyeshi  reminds  me  of  the 
break-neck  paths  of  Montenegro  and  Herzegovina. 

The  trip  from  Stoyeshi  gave  me  new  sensations. 
For  the  first  time  I experienced  riding  through  rapids 
in  a flat-boat.  The  boat  moves  off  very  slowly,  the 
boatman  rowing,  but  at  the  first  cataract  the  man  at 
the  rudder  has  barely  time  by  a quick  movement  to 
escape  the  rocks.  One  must  really  admire  the  cool- 
headedness  with  which  he  conducts  his  little  craft 
through  exactly  the  right  spot,  for  a hair’s  breadth 
one  side  or  the  other,  and  the  skiff  would  be  dashed 
to  pieces.  For  me  it  was  the  same  sensation  as 
tobogganing.  The  first  moment  I held  my  breath, 
thinking  all  was  over ; but  the  pleasure  continued  all 
day,  for  there  are  many  rapids  in  this  river,  as  it 
flows  along  bordered  by  high  mountains,  dark  with 
cypress  trees,  until  it  narrows  and  the  projecting 
rocks  nearly  close  overhead. 

The  next  place  of  interest  was  Kumamoto,  the 
chief  town  of  the  province  of  the  same  name,  and 
the  former  residence  of  Prince  Higo.  It  is  situated 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  241 

on  a fertile  plain,  and  looks  not  unlike  Sendai  and 
Tokyo.  The  Governor  of  Kumamoto  received  us 
very  kindly,  although  he  kept  us  waiting  a long  time 
before  he  appeared.  This  is  easily  explained,  how- 
ever, as  our  visit  was  in  the  evening,  when  high 
Japanese  officials  have  already  divested  themselves  of 
their  European  dress,  which  they  wear  only  for  the 
hours  of  service,  then  don  the  comfortable  Japanese 
kimono  before  squatting  on  their  heels  to  smoke 
their  pipes,  so  the  change  back  to  European  dress 
took  some  time.  The  Governor  is  an  old  man  with 
clean-shaven  face,  and  wore  an  old-fashioned  frock- 
coat  and  a very  small  cravat.  We  left  the  sight- 
seeing in  Kumamoto  until  our  return,  and  pushed 
on  to  the  volcano  Aso  San.  The  ascent  begins  at 
Kumamoto.  A swiftly  flowing  river  lies  to  the  right 
and  the  mountains  are  first  visible  through  a lilac 
mist,  then  grow  larger  and  closer  and  the  surround- 
ings become  more  and  more  picturesque.  At  Tateno 
we  left  our  jinrikshas  and  entered  a narrow  ravine, 
where  there  is  a small  waterfall  and  several  small 
houses.  Through  the  kindness  of  the  Governor  a 
separate  house  had  been  prepared  for  us.  There  is 
a great  reservoir  of  hot  water,  and  all  the  country 
is  bubbling  with  hot  springs.  Nearly  four  thousand 
invalids  are  brought  here  yearly.  The  place  where 
we  passed  the  night  is  delightful  in  many  respects. 
The  abrupt,  high  mountains  rising  around  it  are  so 
close  together  that  there  seems  scarcely  room  for  the 
waterfall  to  gush  through,  besides  the  tiny  square 
on  which  are  situated  the  few  houses. 

The  following  morning  we  began  the  ascent  of  the 
volcano.  Everywhere  there  are  traces  of  the  vol- 


242 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


canic  activity  of  Aso  San.  We  climbed  three  hours 
through  monotonous  country,  but  here  and  there  are 
spots  of  pasture  ground,  where  cattle  were  grazing, 
until  finally  we  arrived  at  the  first  geysers,  bursting 
out  of  the  ground  with  tremendous  roar. 

At  Yuno-tani  we  took  a hot  bath,  which  dissipated 
our  fatigue  like  magic.  There  are  but  few  houses, 
and  formerly  they  were  close  beside  the  geysers,  but 
such  near  neighborhood  was  deemed  dangerous,  and 
they  were  moved  lower  down.  Continuing,  our 
climb  was  more  difficult  and  desolate.  From  time  to 
time  extensive  views  opened  before  us,  and  after  five 
hours’  walk  we  reached  Senjiugahama,  on  the  old 
crater.  The  strong  smell  of  sulphur  gave  warning 
that  the  active  crater  was  near.  A little  farther  a 
few  shacks  appeared,  where  dwell  the  people  who 
extract  sulphur.  This  occupation  gives  them  little 
in  return,  as,  for  instance,  eighty  persons,  taking 
about  twenty  thousand  pounds  of  sulphur  a day,  re- 
ceive only  three  quarters  of  a cent  a pound — to  say 
nothing  of  the  great  risk  they  run,  working  in  the 
crater,  where  they  are  likely  to  be  asphyxiated  at  any 
moment,  and  where  there  is  always  possibility  of  an 
eruption. 

A curious  experience  was,  when  upon  arrival  at  the 
first  tea-house  we  were  politely  asked  to  go  to  the 
next  one,  and  upon  inquiry  as  to  the  reason  we  were 
informed  that  the  owners  of  the  tea-houses  had  made 
an  agreement  that  each  house  should  take  turn  in 
receiving  the  visitors — to-day  one,  to-morrow  an- 
other— thus  each  one  would  have  its  share  of  profit. 

From  here  on  begins  what  is  known  as  the  Valley 
of  Death,  with  not  a spear  of  grass  nor  sign  of  any 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  243 

living  thing.  The  smell  of  sulphur  is  unbearable, 
but  we  have  begun,  and  will  go  on  to  the  end.  All 
along  the  path  slender  spouts  of  steam  are  issuing, 
and  the  Japanese  believe  them  to  be  the  souls  of 
youths  struggling  to  escape  from  hell,  to  prevent 
which  they  cover  such  places  with  great  stones.  The 
Japanese  picture  to  themselves  hell  itself  in  form  of 
the  crater  of  Aso  San,  and  truly  it  is  imposingly  ter- 
rible. The  crater  is  twenty  ri  (one  ri  equals  two 
and  a half  miles)  in  circumference  and  eight  ri  deep. 
From  the  depths  comes  a noise  as  if  mighty  engines 
were  at  work,  and  the  exhalations  of  sulphur  explode 
with  tremendous  crash  out  of  the  bowels  of  the  earth. 
On  the  very  edge  of  the  crater  stand  idols,  before 
which  our  guides  made  a long  prayer.  Siga  San 
could  not  summon  courage  to  walk  clear  to  the  edge, 
but,  crawling  cautiously,  glanced  in{  and  turned 
away  terror-stricken. 

We  descended  by  another  trail  to  Miaji  and  Saka- 
nasli,  where  a government  official  met  us,  dressed  in 
a half  military  cape,  like  Mephistopheles  in  Faust. 
Fie  was  a very  gay  companion,  was  fond  of  brandy 
and  whisky,  and  made  friends  immediately.  From 
Sakanash  we  passed  into  the  province  of  Bungo,  and 
what  a contrast  to  the  Kumamoto  province ! Instead 
of  fields  and  plains,  nothing  but  mountains  and 
rocks,  which  seem  like  waves  of  a petrified  sea.  The 
road  itself  was  something  horrible.  This  ken,  how- 
ever, is  celebrated  for  its  mineral  springs.  All  these 
places  belonged  at  one  time  to  Prince  Otomo,  who 
sought  to  extend  his  sway  over  the  whole  island  of 
Kiushiu.  The  Portuguese  gave  him  the  title  of 
king.  He  encouraged  the  spread  of  Christianity, 


244 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


but  was  finally  overcome  by  his  enemies,  his  posses- 
sions being  confiscated  and  given  to  the  followers  of 
Iyeyasu  Tokugawa.  In  the  town  of  Takeda  are  to 
be  seen  the  interesting  ruins  of  the  castle  of  Oka, 
which  is  defended  on  all  sides  by  high  walls,  and  the 
two  rivers  Isidagawa  and  Inabagawa  serve  as  nat- 
ural moats  of  the  fortress.  One  can  only  enter  the 
castle  by  a small  path  cut  through  the  mountain.  In 
the  town  are  the  granaries  of  the  former  prince. 
From  Takeda  we  continued  our  journey  in  a pouring 
rain,  which  was  nothing  by  daylight,  but  as  night 
fell  our  kurumayas  slipped  so  in  the  mud  that  they 
risked  breaking  our  necks  and  theirs.  If  we  had 
been  making  this  trip  from  duty  we  should  have 
grumbled  enough,  but  as  it  was  purely  a pleasure 
trip  we  had  to  imitate  our  kurumayas,  who  took  all 
the  hardships  with  laughter.  They  had  already  run 
sixty-three  kilometers  to-day.  For  such  a run  they 
gain  only  sixty  cents,  but  their  food  costs  them  next 
to  nothing,  as  they  can  get  a meal  everywhere  for 
one  and  a half  cents. 

We  passed  the  night  at  Oita,  a poor  little  town 
with  a castle,  and  the  next  day  returned  to  Takeda. 
The  weather  being  favorable,  we  could  admire  the 
landscape.  I had  read  much  of  the  spread  of  Chris- 
tianity in  these  parts,  but  I searched  in  vain  for  some 
vestige — monuments  or  churches — but  never  found 
a trace  of  it  any  more  than  if  it  had  never  existed. 
To  what  can  this  be  attributed?  Either  the  Jesuits 
tremendously  exaggerated  the  spread  and  success  of 
Christianity  or  the  persecution  must  have  been  mer- 
ciless. 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  245 

In  Sakanash  a private  house  had  been  prepared 
for  us.  It  was  the  former  villa  of  Prince  Hoso- 
kawa,  and  now  belonged  to  a merchant.  It  was  a 
particularly  luxurious  residence,  in  Japanese  style 
certainly.  The  sliding  walls  were  decorated  with 
beautiful  paintings.  In  one  corner  of  the  reception- 
room  was  a very  valuable  picture  and  rare  chrysan- 
themums. In  this  place  I saw  the  so-called  butso- 
kan,  a fruit  called  “Buddha’s  hand.”  It  is  a sort  of 
orange  which  has  the  form  of  fingers,  drawn  to- 
gether as  if  to  bestow  blessing.  The  chief  of  the 
district,  to  amuse  us,  sent  us  a roll  of  paintings,  a 
copy  of  an  old  manuscript  describing  the  invasion  of 
the  Mongols.  They  contained  many  very  well  exe- 
cuted drawings,  and  it  was  curious  to  note  that  the 
Japanese  represent  the  Mongols  with  black  faces  and 
themselves  with  white.  They  were  also  interesting 
as  showing  the  costumes  of  the  Mongols  and  Japa- 
nese of  that  time,  Mongolian  and  Japanese  ships, 
and  the  arrangement  of  Japanese  houses,  which  has 
not  changed  since  then. 

The  master  of  the  house  was  a great  lover  of  flow- 
ers, and  had  a wonderful  collection  of  chrysanthe- 
mums. He  also  had  a good  collection  of  arms.  Be- 
fore the  house  was  a garden  laid  out  in  Japanese 
style,  with  strangely  shaped  stones  and  distorted 
trees;  while  right  in  the  midst  of  this  work  of  art 
arose  an  old  cedar  in  all  its  glorious  beauty. 

In  Kumamoto,  which  we  reached  through  a pour- 
ing rain  very  late  in  the  evening,  is  to  be  seen  Su- 
genji,  or  the  former  home  of  Prince  Hosokawa.  The 
house  itself  was  burned,  only  the  wings  being  saved, 
and  they  have  now  been  turned  into  tea-houses.  The 


246  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

park  of  Sungenji  is  a Japanese  garden,  but  on  a very 
large  scale.  There  are,  of  course,  the  artificial 
ponds,  rocks,  islands,  kiosques,  waterfalls,  artificial 
hills,  contorted  trees — in  a word,  all  that  goes  to 
make  a Japanese  garden;  but  as  it  covers  an  enor- 
mous area  a large  part  was  left  as  nature  made  it, 
and  it  reminds  one,  with  its  beautiful  allees  and  gi- 
gantic trees,  of  an  English  park. 

Near  Kumamoto  is  the  temple  erected  in  honor  of 
the  Japanese  hero  Kato  Kiomassa.  In  the  gallery 
of  the  temple  there  are  many  pictures  relating  to  the 
war  with  Korea,  and  many  trophies  of  that  war. 
Happily  they  were  not  like  the  trophies  of  Konissi, 
who  brought  from  Korea  40,000  ears  and  noses  of 
Koreans.  The  castle  of  Kumamoto  is  considered 
among  the  most  remarkable  in  Japan,  and  is  in  the 
cyclopean  style  of  the  others  which  I have  already 
described.  Returning  to  our  house  we  found  an  aid 
of  the  Governor,  waiting  with  a large  tray,  on  which 
were  spread  a dozen  grape-fruit,  and  tins  of  Kuma- 
moto tea.  It  seems  that  the  Governor,  wishing  to 
open  a trade  with  Russia,  had  sent  samples  of  the 
products  of  Kumamoto  ken;  and  especially  was  he 
interested  in  introducing  Japanese  tea  into  Russia. 
They  sent  experts  to  India,  but  could  not  succeed  in 
preparing  the  tea  to  the  Russian  taste.  They  after- 
wards sent  men  to  Hankow,  where  they  learned  to 
make  the  tea  in  the  Chinese  manner,  and  even  made 
compressed  bricks  of  tea. 

We  were  invited  to  a dinner  at  the  Governor’s  at 
six  o’clock.  The  dinner  was  European,  and  given  in 
the  same  dining-hall  where  the  banquet  was  held  in 
honor  of  the  Emperor’s  birthday.  The  great  table 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  247 

was  spread  as  it  had  been  then  for  sixty  persons,  al- 
though we  were  only  five,  and  you  can  imagine  the 
gloomy  and  forlorn  appearance  of  our  feast.  The 
menu  was  varied  and  plentiful,  and  the  Governor 
and  his  secretary  ate  with  great  appetite,  smacking 
their  lips.  With  the  champagne  the  Governor  made 
a speech,  in  which  he  asked  our  pardon  for  the  bad 
country  meal.  That  is  always  the  order  of  things  in 
Japan,  and  it  is  remarkable  how  the  Japanese  always 
speaks  of  himself  and  of  all  which  belongs  to  him  in 
such  a deprecatory  manner.  He  always  speaks  of 
his  tumbled-down  house,  of  his  business  as  bankrupt, 
and  of  his  wife  as  stupid.  Imagine  the  consequences 
if  European  husbands  spoke  of  their  wives  in  such 
a manner ! The  dinner  was  animated,  the  conversa- 
tion including  many  subjects,  and  afterwards  we 
made  a tournee  in  the  courtesan  quarter  of  the  town. 
It  is  a town  by  itself,  surrounded  by  walls  and  moats. 
After  passing  through  the  dark  streets  of  the  town 
and  crossing  a bridge,  dark  as  pitch,  we  suddenly 
emerged  into  a sea  of  light.  All  the  many-storied 
houses  and  hotels  were  bright  with  lamps  and  lan- 
terns, and  from  all  sides  came  the  sounds  of  singing 
and  music,  while  behind  the  bars,  like  in  bright 
cages,  enameled  and  painted  women,  dressed  in  gor- 
geous costumes,  sat  like  statues.  A gay  crowd  of 
men,  women,  and  children  passed  by,  stopping  to 
peer  in.  You  would  never  think  this  the  disrep- 
utable quarter  of  the  town  if  it  were  not  for  seeing 
the  guardians  of  these  houses,  back  in  the  entrances, 
calling  out  to  the  passers-by  and  recommending  their 
collection  of  women.  And  to  think  that  the  major- 
ity of  these  “joro,”  as  they  are  called,  are  bound  out 


248  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

by  their  own  fathers,  who  find  nothing  disreputable 
in  this  trade.  The  contract  is  generally  for  three, 
five,  or  seven  years,  the  father  receiving  from  two 
hundred  to  two  thousand  yen ; the  person  taking  the 
girl  assumes  the  obligation  of  giving  her  an  artistic 
training  in  dancing  and  singing.  The  father,  far 
from  being  ashamed  to  have  his  daughter  in  such  a 
place,  visits  her,  and  you  sometimes  see  them  talking 
to  each  other  through  the  bars  in  the  most  friendly 
manner.  When  she  returns  to  her  home  after  her 
bondage,  if  she  has  amassed  a capital,  she  can  make 
a good  marriage. 

The  Japanese  of  the  old  regime  who  visits  this 
quarter  comes  with  covered  face,  not  to  be  seen  in 
such  a rabble.  A policeman  is  sometimes  visible  to 
preserve  the  good  order  of  the  public,  but  he  is  quite 
unnecessary,  as  the  most  indecent  Japanese  crowd  is 
always  well  behaved.  One  never  sees  drunkards  or 
brazen  women,  as  sometimes  in  Europe.  Every- 
where peace  and  quiet  reigns,  and  it  is  quite  re- 
markable, for,  as  every  one  knows,  this  quarter  is  the 
refuge  of  all  the  bad  characters  of  the  town. 

When  a Japanese  has  committed  a robbery  he 
never  fails  to  pass  several  days  in  this  quarter,  seek- 
ing enjoyment;  and  if  a criminal  cannot  be  found, 
detectives  are  sent  here  to  trace  him. 

Although  the  Japanese  may  despise  these  women, 
they  do  not  know  a better  way  of  enjoying  life  than 
to  spend  their  leisure  in  these  quarters.  I happened 
upon  a manuscript  of  an  aged  man,  a respectable 
father  of  a family,  who  described  his  trip  from 
Kyoto  to  Tokyo,  and  it  was  one  long  account  of  his 
impressions  received  in  different  courtesan  quarters. 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  249 

They  are  called  differently  in  different  towns,  and 
not  all  as  the  foreigner  calls  them,  “Yoshivara”  (the 
courtesan  quarter  in  Tokyo). 

The  Governor  was  very  anxious  to  have  us  see  the 
port  of  Misumi,  which  he  and  his  entourage  spoke 
of  as  the  new  Singapore.  We  found  in  Misumi  a 
European  quarter,  consisting  of  a postoffice,  tele- 
graph office,  several  stone  buildings,  and  several 
huts.  The  streets  are  laid  out  as  for  a great  city. 
The  government  has  spent  300,000  yen  on  the  port 
and  the  road  to  Kumamoto.  If  you  look  at  the  map 
you  will  see  that  the  islands  to  the  west  and  east 
form  a protected  bay  of  great  depth,  with  many 
issues  through  which  large  ships  can  pass.  We  saw 
there  a small  steamer  and  several  junks;  that  is  all  I 
can  say  for  the  future  Singapore.  In  the  morning 
by  five  o’clock  we  were  already  seated  in  a small 
bark  which  was  to  take  us  across  to  the  opposite 
shore.  The  boatman  had  informed  us  that  we  must 
leave  at  this  hour  in  order  that  the  current  should 
carry  us  across.  The  sea  looked  calm,  but  as  we 
came  out  a little  the  current  took  us,  and  carried  us 
with  such  tremendous  swiftness  that  in  three  hours 
we  had  reached  Dozzaki,  a poor  little  village  with 
but  a few  houses.  The  coast  is  lined  with  stone 
walls  to  catch  the  fish  when  the  tide  goes  out. 

The  road  to  Onzen  is  not  good,  and  we  succeeded 
only  in  getting  pack-horses,  or  kago,  and  after  four 
hours’  walk  over  a stony  road  reached  Onzen,  which 
is  renowned  for  its  health  springs  and  sulphur  baths. 
The  geysers  are  not  so  high  or  imposing  as  at  Aso 
San  or  Yunotani,  although  a great  space  is  covered 
by  these  ventholes  of  the  earth.  The  hotel,  in  Eu- 


250  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

ropean  style,  is  close  to  the  geysers,  and  it  is  difficult 
to  realize  that  one  is  on  a volcano  when  one  sees  the 
green  hills,  the  pretty  village  in  the  ravine,  and  the 
beautiful  outlines  of  Amasuka  rising  out  of  the  sea. 
It  is,  however,  and  the  Japanese  are  right  in  calling 
it  “small  hell,”  for  the  whole  night  through  the  hiss- 
ing of  steam  and  the  rumbling  like  that  of  a great 
engine  is  heard,  while  in  the  daytime  thick  clouds  of 
steam  are  ever  rising  from  the  earth.  One  must 
approach  these  geysers  very  carefully.  I know  one 
case  when  a friend  of  mine  lost  both  his  feet  by  fall- 
ing into  one  of  these  pits.  In  certain  spots  the  na- 
tives unsuspiciously  began  preparing  rice  fields,  and 
lo ! a boiling  fountain  gushed  up  in  the  midst  of  the 
fields. 

From  Onsen  we  descended  to  Shimabara,  interest- 
ing as  the  last  stronghold  of  30,000  Christians. 

The  inhabitants  appeared  to  me  handsomer  than 
in  other  parts  of  Japan.  One  meets  frequently  a 
handsome  profile  or  a fine  Roman  nose,  and  the  com- 
plexion of  the  people  is  lighter. 

We  reached  Kosiri  at  night.  It  is  a small  village, 
rarely  visited  by  foreigners,  and  our  arrival  created 
a sensation.  The  house  was  very  decent,  still  the 
mistress  excused  herself  that  all  was  not  in  perfect 
order,  and  took  great  pains  to  make  us  comfortable. 

We  continued  our  way  the  next  morning,  the 
weather  being  beautiful,  but  the  sea  was  gray  and 
covered  with  foam.  From  Kosiri  the  valley  broad- 
ens until  the  mountains  are  left  behind  us,  barely 
visible  through  a blue  haze. 

In  Aidzu  the  harvesting  was  in  full  swing,  and 
women  up  to  their  knees  in  mud  were  cutting  rice; 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  251 

the  village  seems  gay  and  even  elegant.  Spread  on 
mattings  before  the  houses  were  piles  of  fresh- 
plucked  cotton  from  the  fields.  Every  one  seemed 
busy,  except  the  children  who  played  on  the  streets, 
and  even  they  are  not  always  free,  for  I saw  a four- 
year-old  youngster  leading  a horse  to  drink. 

Isahai  is  a pretty  place  on  the  river  of  the  same 
name.  In  the  tea-house,  where  we  stopped  to  rest 
our  kurumayas,  Siga  San,  who  was  conversing  with 
the  mistress,  asked  her  if  there  were  any  Christians 
in  the  place.  “No;  this  is  only  a little  village,”  she 
answered,  as  if  excusing  it. 

More  wonderful  landscapes,  another  climb,  and 
before  us  spreads  the  view  of  Nagasaki  bay. 


Chapter  XXII 


Popular  festivals  in  Nagasaki — Kompira  Sama — Bon  Matsuri, 
or  the  festival  of  the  dead — Ninth-month  Matsuri  before 
the  temple  of  Osuwa. 

The  eighth  of  April  is  the  festival  of  Kompira 
Sama.  The  origin  of  -this  festival  is  as  follows: 
Long  ago,  in  the  twelfth  century,  on  a mountain 
covered  with  forest,  called  Koto  hira  Yama,  in 
Shanuki,  on  the  island  of  Shikoku,  a small  temple 
was  erected  to  the  deity,  Oho-kuni-nushi-no-Kami, 
the  Master  of  the  earth,  Father  of  the  gods  Food  and 
Harvest. 

In  that  time  in  Shanuki  lived  the  Emperor  Sutoki- 
In,  who  had  abdicated  in  favor  of  his  son.  Living 
in  privacy  during  twenty-three  years  the  Emperor 
died  in  Shidi,  and  as  always  a high  place  is  sought 
to  keep  the  cenotaphs  (memorial  tablets)  of  the 
emperors,  so  the  choice  fell  on  this  mountain,  Koto 
Hira,  and  the  people  prayed  to  Sutoki  with  the  other 
Kamis. 

The  temple,  on  account  of  its  beauty  and  holiness, 
became  one  of  the  most  renowned  in  Japan.  Other 
temples  of  the  same  Kami  were  built  all  over  Japan 
and  a festival  in  their  honor  was  held  by  the  Japanese. 

On  this  day  a great  crowd  of  people  can  be  seen 
on  the  road  leading  from  Nagasaki  to  the  mountain 
Kompira  Sama.  Girls  in  bright  kimonos  with  flow- 
ers in  their  hair,  children  with  rattles  and  dolls, 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  253 

Buddhist  monks  with  shaved  heads,  grown  people 
carrying  kites,  a mass  of  foreigners,  all  making  their 
way  to  the  mountain.  The  road  is  lined  with  Japan- 
ese booths,  where  sweets,  pastry,  food,  toys,  dolls  of 
every  description,  boats,  masks  and  balloons  are  sold. 
Greater  than  all  this  is  the  sale  of  paper  kites,  for 
this  is  the  day  when  old  and  young  indulge  in  this 
pastime.  Exhausted  by  the  heat,  jostling  each 
other,  the  crowd  climbs  higher  and  higher. 

Near  the  little  temple,  which  presents  nothing 
remarkable,  there  is  a great  crowd  of  beggars  and 
cripples,  who  try  your  patience  with  their  trouble- 
some importuning.  Above  the  temple  is  the  hill,  cov- 
ered with  tents,  shacks,  and  canopies  under  which 
the  Japanese  sit  eating  and  drinking,  and  singing 
their  songs.  But  let  us  go  on.  On  an  open  space  the 
great  crowd  with  strained  attention  is  gazing  into 
the  air,  and  there  against  the  bright  blue  sky  hun- 
dreds of  paper  kites  are  flying.  The  interest  is 
centered,  not  in  the  flying  of  the  kite,  but  in  the 
struggle  of  one  kite  with  another.  The  kite  strings 
are  covered  with  glue  and  fine  ground  glass,  and  the 
aim  is  for  your  kite  string  to  cut  another  which  is 
flying  high  in  the  air.  The  spectators  take  the 
greatest  interest  in  this  struggle,  making  bets  of 
large  sums.  It  is  really  amusing  to  see  two  kite 
strings  cross  and  watch  one  kite  fall  to  the  earth, 
when  the  crowd  rushes  to  the  spot  and  every  one 
struggles  to  get  possession  of  it. 

But  however  interesting  the  sport  is,  it  soon  bored 
me,  yet  I have  known  people  to  spend  hours  at  this 
amusement.  The  festival  is  at  its  height.  The  air 
is  filled  with  the  shrieks  of  the  gay  crowd,  the  noise 


254  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

of  rattles,  drums,  tarn-tan??,  through  which  pierce  the 
songs  of  the  geishas  and  the  twang  of  the  samisen. 
Out  of  a booth  rushes  a red-faced,  drunken  Japanese 
and  invites  you  to  take  a drink.  A little  more  and 
the  crowd  will  become  too  noisy  and  troublesome. 
Is  it  not  time  to  return  home?  From  the  27th  to 
the  31st  of  August  is  celebrated  the  festival  of  Bon 
Matsuri  Moran,  or  simply  Bon  Matsuri.  The 
Japanese  believe  that  the  souls  of  the  dead  return  to 
their  families  on  the  twenty-eighth  day  of  the  eighth 
month  and  remain  with  them  until  the  thirty-first. 
At  this  time  fires  are  lighted  on  all  the  heights  to 
guide  them  on  their  way  home.  During  these  days 
Japanese  eat  only  vegetable  food.  As  soon  as  dark- 
ness falls  all  cemeteries  and  all  places  where  the  dead 
are  buried  are  aglow  with  light.  Allees  of  multi- 
colored lanterns,  pyramids  of  light,  festoons  and 
arches  reach  from  one  mountain  to  another.  Every 
family  tries  to  make  its  burial-ground  as  beautiful  as 
possible. 

On  the  first  night  it  seems  as  though  all  the  town, 
suburbs,  and  villages  are  moving  toward  the  moun- 
tain. It  is  a sea  of  fire,  millions  of  lanterns  from 
the  very  smallest  to  the  largest  and  brightest  are 
climbing,  as  if  rising  from  the  sea,  higher  and  higher 
and  spreading  out  as  far  as  the  eye  can  see,  until  all 
this  light  seems  to  mix  with  the  stars.  Arrived  at 
their  burial-grounds  the  Japanese  eat,  drink,  enter- 
tain their  neighbors,  go  back  and  forth,  send  off 
fireworks,  and  in  spite  of  the  sadness  of  the  com- 
memoration they  enjoy  themselves  to  the  utmost. 
All  the  world  is  on  foot  and  everywhere  sounds  of 
music,  drums,  and  tam-tams  are  heard,  firecrackers 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


255 


and  sky-rockets  are  exploding,  and  the  crowd  goes 
wild  with  excitement  when  a cluster  of  multi-colored 
stars  spreads  out  against  the  sky.  The  night  of  the 
third  to  the  fourth  the  souls  are  solemnly  recon- 
ducted, and  started  on  their  journey  to  the  west. 
Every  conceivable  kind  of  boat  is  brought  forth, 
made  of  wood,  straw,  bamboo  or  paper ; for  the  souls 
are  supposed  to  make  the  journey  back  in  them. 
There  are  very  small  ones,  and  some  as  large  as 
eighty  feet  long,  with  sails  illuminated  with  lanterns 
and  decorated  with  flags  and  ribbons;  some  with  tiny 
figures  on  the  deck,  and  all  laden  with  sweets,  rice, 
sake  and  small  change.  These  boats  must  all  be 
launched  at  midnight  of  the  last  day,  and  so  all  the 
population,  forming  processions,  carry  them  with 
the  sounds  of  drum,  music,  and  song  to  the  water. 
Boats  are  so  crowded  on  the  shore  that  the  people 
can  step  from  one  boat  to  another  so  as  to  reach  the 
farthest  one  in  order  to  launch  the  soul-boats. 

At  midnight  the  lights  are  lighted  on  these  little 
crafts  and  they  are  set  floating,  the  breeze  carrying 
them  along,  and  sometimes  setting  fire  to  their  sails, 
which  in  turn  set  fire  to  others,  until  the  sea  is  ablaze. 
The  police  with  long  poles  try  to  sink  them.  A 
youth  jumps  into  the  water,  saves  his  own  craft  and 
sets  fire  to  others.  Then  begins  a struggle,  and 
many  to  save  their  boats  from  sparks  dive  into  the 
water,  and  the  crowd  applauds  them,  calling,  “There 
is  a smart  one!”  “There  is  a clever  one!”  “Impos- 
sible! is  it  sunk?”  “Oh,  that  is  beautiful!”  All  this 
is  accompanied  by  laughter  and  shrieks  and  all  these 
sounds  mingling  together  are  louder  than  the  roar  of 
the  sea. 


256  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

On  the  hill  in  the  public  garden  with  the  century- 
old  camphor  trees  is  the  temple  of  Osuwa.  Foreign- 
ers generally  call  it  the  temple  of  the  bronze  horse, 
as  there  is  a bronze  statue  of  a horse  in  the  court. 
An  endless  monumental  staircase  leads  up  to  the 
temple.  I will  not  stop  to  describe  it,  excepting  to 
say  that  it  is  a large  wooden  building  with  all  the 
accessories  of  a Shinto  temple.  I will,  however, 
speak  of  the  festival  in  memory  of  this  saint.  It 
was  inaugurated  in  1632  A.  D.,  during  the  persecu- 
tions of  the  Christians,  and  the  inhabitants  of  Naga- 
saki, to  show  their  fidelity  to  the  memory  of  their 
ancestors,  organized  the  festival.  It  consists  of 
representations  of  a historical  character  held  before 
the  temple  every  year  from  the  ninth  to  the  eleventh 
day  of  the  ninth  month,  and  it  is  called  Ninth-month 
Matsuri.  At  first  all  the  town  and  the  suburban 
villages  took  part  in  the  arrangement  of  this  festival, 
but  afterwards  it  was  decided  that  each  quarter 
should  celebrate  in  turn,  every  eight  years,  excepting 
the  Maruyama  machi  (quarter  of  the  courtesans), 
which  could  take  part  every  year. 

Preparations  begin  several  days  before  the  time 
set,  and  every  house  sends  the  best  it  contains  to 
decorate  the  floats  which  form  the  procession  accom- 
panying the  saint,  who  goes  in  solemn  state  to  Ohata, 
where  he  passes  the  night,  returning  home  the  next 
day.  Rich  materials,  dresses,  clothes,  arms,  vases 
and  bronzes  are  sent  to  be  put  on  the  kasa-boko 
(floats),  which  are  themselves  costly  works  of  art, 
decorated  with  ornaments  of  silver,  lacquer,  sculp- 
ture and  metal  work,  representing  vast  sums  of 
money,  and  all  that  the  inhabitants  can  give  of  talent 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  257 

and  labor.  On  the  morning  of  the  festival  the 
streets  are  decorated  with  all  sorts  of  materials, 
bamboo  and  flowers. 

Through  the  kindness  of  the  president  of  the 
court  I had  a good  view  from  his  balcony  of  all  the 
religious  procession.  First  appears  a company  of 
men  bearing  long  spears,  then  follows  a band  of 
children  dressed  in  elegant  ancient  costumes,  carry- 
ing flags.  They  are  nearly  overcome  by  the  weight 
of  their  finery,  and  their  parents  or  relations  run 
along  beside  them,  helping  them  to  carry  their  flags. 
If  there  are  any  children  without  parents,  you  should 
see  with  what  despair  they  look  about  them  for  help. 
Then  follow  more  children,  carrying  swords,  and 
bows  and  arrows — in  a word,  all  the  belongings  of 
the  temple  are  placed  on  view. 

Some  of  the  children  wear  silk  hats,  which  look 
like  tiaras;  after  them  follow  the  Shinto  priests,  in 
white  robes,  with  head  dresses  like  horns  of  plenty. 
They  protect  themselves  from  the  sun  with  fans. 
Next  comes  a tremendous  crowd  bearing  a gold  litter 
with  small  silk  curtains,  and  into  this  litter  or  box  the 
crowd  throws  money.  Now  come  drums  and  whole 
rows  of  musicians,  playing  melancholy  music  on  the 
flute — it  is  something  heartrending;  but  the  costumes 
of  the  musicians  are  very  interesting.  More  children 
follow  with  more  possessions  of  the  temple,  then  a 
small  gold  temple  on  a litter.  When  this  temple 
appears,  in  which  the  deity  is  supposed  to  be  present, 
all  the  crowd  clap  their  hands  to  call  his  attention, 
and  throw  money  into  the  temple.  The  procession 
is  brought  to  a close  by  priests  in  white  robes  on 
horseback,  and  thus  ends  the  religious  ceremony. 


258 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


Then  begin  the  odori  and  the  figures  prepared  for  the 
occasion  by  a certain  quarter  of  the  town,  and  each 
street  has  done  its  best  to  prepare  some  figure, — a 
colossal  lion,  elephant,  dragon,  a gigantic  junk  or 
something  of  the  sort, — besides  some  kind  of  a panto- 
mime representation. 

Let  us  leave  the  hospitable  owner  of  the  balcony 
and  betake  ourselves  to  the  temple  of  Osuwa,  where 
all  these  odori  and  floats  must  present  themselves. 
One  would  never  recognize  the  temple  on  this  day. 
Where  peace  and  quiet  generally  reign  surges  a 
crowd  of  many  thousands.  The  great  staircase  is 
invisible,  its  steps  being  used  as  seats  by  the  specta- 
tors, and  on  both  sides  of  the  space  great  stands  have 
been  erected,  having  a place  in  the  center  free  for  the 
floats  and  theatrical  representations.  It  looks  not 
unlike  a great  amphitheatre;  all  the  places  are  en- 
gaged beforehand,  and  the  public  has  been  here  since 
sunrise.  It  is  interesting  to  see  how  a mass  of  people 
push  a gigantic  dragon  up  the  hill,  or  a huge  chariot, 
and  it  is  appalling  to  see  these  cars,  laden  with  chil- 
dren, dragged  up  the  ascent.  But  there  they  are  at 
last  in  the  space,  and  every  chariot  rumbles  three 
times  around  before  the  public,  stopping  for  a few 
moments  to  give  its  representation.  The  actors  ap- 
pear, sometimes  grown  people,  sometimes  children, 
and  give  a little  comedy  or  genre  scene,  then  the  float 
moves  on  to  make  room  for  the  next  one.  After 
that  a gigantic  junk  appears,  with  real  sails  and 
manned  by  Chinese  sailors,  and  on  this  a historical 
representation  takes  place.  Finally  appears  a huge 
casque  followed  by  mythological  animals,  each  one 
stopping  while  the  performance  is  given.  It  may  be 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


259 


interesting  to  give  an  idea  of  some  of  these  plays. 
We  will  give  the  performance  of  Sakura  Machi. 

Children  come  out  with  branches  of  cherry  blos- 
soms and  the  following  conversation  takes  place : 

“The  blossoming  of  the  cherry  is  a happy  day. 
We  are  ordered  to  prepare  the  temple;  let  us  go  to 
the  bright,  blooming  scene.” 

After  which  follows  the  sacred  Shinto  dance,  with 
the  ringing  of  sacred  bells,  and  the  children  repeat 
over  and  over  again  “madetasi”  (congratulations). 

The  next  scene  is  of  an  historical  character. 

Hidcsaemon. — “Why  did  you  come?” 

Sanemori. — “I  have  come  to  find  some  one  of  the 
family  of  Genji.” 

Hidcsaemon. — “But  to-day  is  a holiday.  I beg 
you  to  drink  some  sake  to  the  health  of  my  master.” 

Sanemori. — “I  dare  not  refuse.”  (Hidesaemon 
gives  him  a cup  and  geishas  sing.) 

Hidesaemon. — “Look,  what  is  that?  Near  the 
promontory  I see  torches.  Is  it  not  a fight?  or  may 
be  brigands  ?” 

Sanemori. — “Look!  there  is  a woman  swimming; 
she  is  drowning,  save  her!”  (He  prays  to  Osuwa, 
and  jumping  into  the  boat  rows  to  the  woman.) 

Koman. — “Who  are  you,  god  or  Buddha?  I know 
not  how  to  thank  you.” 

Sanemori. — “You  are  lucky.  You  have  been 
saved  by  the  blessed  aid  of  Munemori,  oldest  son  of 
the  house  of  Heike.” 

Koman,  hearing  these  words,  wishes  to  run  away, 
but  she  is  prevented. 

Hidcsaemon. — “Why  do  you  wish  to  run  away? 
Why  do  you  swim  so  far  ?” 


260 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


Koman. — “There  is  a reason.” 

Hidesaemon  and  Sanemori  beg  her  to  tell  them 
the  reason,  and  she  for  answer  throws  herself  into 
the  water,  saying,  “I  thought  I had  escaped  the 
danger,  hut  I have  fallen  into  a greater  one.” 
Sanemori. — “Look!  she  has  a white  flag.” 
Hidesaemon. — “Row  quickly  and  take  the  flag 
from  her.” 

Koman  and  others  come  out  in  priestly  robes. 
Everybody  praises  her,  that  she  was  true  to  the  flag 
of  her  master.  Koman  blesses  them  and  promises 
that  they  shall  be  rewarded  when  Kumakamaru  is 
grown. 

Hidesaemon  and  Sanemori. — “His  glory  will  re- 
sound throughout  the  land.” 

Koman. — “I  have  no  doubt  of  that.” 

Hidesaemon  and  Sanemori. — “And  so  good-by! 
We  will  meet  again  when  he  has  become  glorious — 
Medetasi,  Medetasi.” 

And  so  on  the  whole  day.  Such  varied  perform- 
ances are  tiring,  and  also  the  position  was  not  very 
comfortable,  for  as  if  purposely  the  bright  blue  sky 
was  unclouded  and  the  sun’s  rays  were  burning. 
Woe  if  you  open  an  umbrella,  for  the  whole  crowd 
shrieks  like  one  man,  “Casatori”  (shut  the  um- 
brella), and  you  must  obey.  I have  already  told  you 
that  the  places  on  the  great  staircase  are  free  and 
filled  by  workmen,  carriers,  etc.  The  elegant  public 
receives  no  attention  whatever  on  this  day — the  real 
masters  are  these  shrieking  people  on  the  steps.  All 
their  caprices  are  fulfilled  without  a murmur,  and  the 
aldermen  of  the  streets  bow  to  them  first  as  the  pro- 
cession reaches  the  place.  Blue  is  the  dominant  color 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  261 

of  this  mass,  and  sometimes  in  this  bine  sea  a black 
coat  of  a Europeanized  Japanese  appears,  or  yellow 
garments  of  the  Chinese.  What  an  interesting  group 
for  an  artist.  Look  at  that  old  witch  opening  wide 
her  black  mouth  or  at  this  coquettishly  dressed 
mousme,  or  at  those  bronze-like  naked  coolies,  or  on 
the  student  of  Japan  with  an  Indian  helmet  on  his 
head. 

After  their  appearance  at  the  temple  the  odori,  or 
chariots,  rumble  away  through  all  the  streets  of  the 
town,  paying  their  respects  to  the  town  people,  and 
everywhere  the  actors  are  feted  and  entertained,  to 
the  great  joy  of  the  children  and  the  servants  who 
for  some  reason  could  not  go  to  the  temple.  And 
during  three  days  the  rumble  of  these  cars  is  heard, 
accompanied  by  the  sounds  of  bells  and  the  unceasing 
shrieks  of  the  crowd,  never  tired  of  looking  at  these 
wonders ; until  finally  when  quiet  descends  upon  the 
town  you  thank  God  that  it  is  over. 


Chapter  XXIII 


How  the  Dutch  traveled  from  Nagasaki  to  Tokyo — Kaempfer — 
Omura — Sasebo — Political  meeting  and  a lottery — Miya- 
jima,  Happy  Island,  where  death  is  banished. 

Confined  in  Dezirna  as  in  a prison,  the  Dutch 
were  obliged  to  go  to  Tokyo  every  year  to  make 
obeisance  and  bear  presents  to  the  Shogun  and  his 
ministers.  This  was  their  only  chance  of  seeing  the 
country,  and  Kaempfer,  who  was  the  doctor  of  the 
colony,  has  left  a detailed  account  of  his  trip  to 
Tokyo.  The  journey  was  made  by  land  from  Naga- 
saki to  Kokura  (opposite  Shimonoseki),  thence  by 
boat  to  Osaka,  and  finally  by  land  again  along  the 
Tokaido  (the  high  road  from  Kyoto  to  Tokyo). 
The  day  for  the  journey  was  always  set  for  the  15th 
or  1 6th  of  the  first  moon  (February).  When  all 
arrangements  were  completed  the  presents  were  ap- 
proved by  the  governor  and  sent  in  advance  to  Shi- 
monoseki, the  persons  appointed  who  were  to  escort 
the  Dutch  deputation,  and  word  was  sent  along  the 
way  that  everywhere  dwellings  and  necessary  horses 
should  be  prepared,  as  traveling  in  those  times  was 
not  an  easy  matter,  and  the  Dutch  train,  with  the 
escort,  consisted  of  a hundred  or  a hundred  and  fifty 
men.  The  chief  of  the  military  escort,  a Japanese, 
and  the  Dutch  Resident  rode  in  litters  (norimon), 
while  the  others  sat  on  pack-horses  with  their  legs 
crossed,  or  in  case  of  illness  or  old  age  they  could 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  263 

ride  in  a kago.  Here  it  is  necessary  to  speak  of  the 
difference  between  the  norimon  and  the  kago.  The 
norimon  was  only  used  by  very  high  personages. 
The  kago,  as  we  know,  is  the  litter  in  its  most 
primitive  form,  and  is  most  uncomfortable;  but 
the  norimon  is  much  broader,  higher,  and  longer, 
so  that  one  can  lie  down  with  ease  in  it.  There 
are  but  few  norimonos  now,  preserved  in  the 
families  of  feudal  lords  as  souvenirs  of  the  olden 
times,  or  in  the  antiquity  shops.  They  were  con- 
structed with  great  luxury  and  richness.  The  height 
of  the  norimon  depended  at  that  time  upon  the  dis- 
tinction and  importance  of  the  owner,  and  the  gov- 
ernment strictly  enforced  the  regulation  that  every- 
one should  ride  in  norimonos  according  to  his  rank. 
The  norimon  looked  like  a large  box,  with  a small 
door  and  window  on  one  side,  and  was  covered  with 
lacquer  and  ornamented  with  gold  according  to  the 
rank  of  the  person.  There  were  three,  eight,  or 
more  carriers,  and  it  was  carried  on  the  shoulders  or 
in  the  hands  of  the  carriers. 

When  the  Dutch  Resident  and  his  suite  went 
through  the  island  of  Kiushiu  he  was,  according  to 
Ksempfer,  attended  by  as  much  ceremony  as  the 
feudal  princes.  Roads  were  swept  and  watered. 
The  common  people  were  chased  off  the  road ; those 
who  were  on  horseback  had  to  dismount,  and  pedes- 
trians, in  sign  of  humility,  had  to  squat,  bowing  low 
with  their  backs  to  the  passer.  This  latter  custom 
is  still  observed  in  Japan.  When  strangers  visit  a 
prison,  all  the  prisoners  have  to  go  through  the  same 
thing,  having  no  right  to  look  at  the  visitor.  It 
must  be  a custom  of  Malay  origin,  as  one  sees  the 


264  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

same  everywhere  in  Java.  But  to  return  to  the 
Dutch.  One  must  say,  that  in  spite  of  the  consider- 
ation with  which  they  were  treated,  they  were  in 
reality  prisoners.  Fearing  that  they  would  begin 
spreading  their  religion  they  were  forbidden  all  in- 
tercourse with  the  natives.  Their  escort  saw  that 
they  were  entirely  isolated  from  the  world.  Arriv- 
ing at  the  hotel,  or  at  a house,  they  were  quartered 
in  the  back  court,  where  they  were  obliged  to  remain 
until  the  continuation  of  the  journey.  If,  on  the 
road,  one  of  the  Dutch  desired  to  stop,  the  escorting 
Japanese  surrounded  him,  and  did  not  leave  him  for 
a moment.  They  were  also  prohibited  from  buying 
maps  and  guide-books  along  the  way.  In  spite  of 
these  conditions,  which  were  very  hard,  Kaempfer 
succeeded  in  collecting  many  facts,  and  his  descrip- 
tion from  an  exterior  standpoint  is  remarkable  for 
its  photographic  exactness.  The  life  of  the  Japa- 
nese, in  spite  of  all  the  new  tendencies  in  Tokyo,  has 
remained  the  same  as  in  the  time  of  Kaempfer  to  all 
intents  and  purposes,  and  probably  will  not  soon 
change.  However,  on  the  high  road  no  norimonos 
are  seen,  nor  the  pompous  trains  of  feudal  lords  and 
their  suites.  Now  the  former  daimio  and  the  gov- 
ernor travel  in  jinrikshas  like  simple  mortals;  but  in 
the  arrangements  of  the  hotels  and  the  life  of  the  in- 
habitants of  towns  and  villages  one  has  before  one’s 
eyes  life  as  in  the  time  of  Kaempfer.  There  are,  of 
course,  some  differences,  of  which  I will  speak  in 
due  time. 

I will  say  that  our  preparations  for  this  journey 
were  not  extensive.  The  kurumayas  were  waiting 
at  the  door,  and  when  we  were  seated  they  started 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  265 

with  shrieks  of  delight,  tearing  through  the  streets 
of  Nagasaki.  Our  road  lay  along  the  northern  con- 
fines of  the  bay.  To  the  left  lay  Inossa.  Leaving 
the  bay,  we  entered  a broad  valley  through  which 
wound  a ribbon-like  river.  The  first  village  we 
came  to  was  Urakami,  which  is  remarkable  in  that 
its  inhabitants  have  remained  true  to  Christianity 
through  all  the  persecutions.  When  the  country 
was  opened  to  foreigners  they  declared  themselves 
Christians,  and  are,  according  to  the  Catholic  mis- 
sionaries, most  convinced  and  firm  adherents  to  the 
church.  In  Urakami  still  exists  a tree  known  as  the 
Christian  tree. 

Beginning  at  Urakami  the  country  changes.  From 
a picture  of  agricultural  life  we  go  over  to  mountain 
scenery,  with  great  rocks,  covered  with  vegetation, 
and  ravines  cutting  through  the  high  mountains. 
One  of  these  mountains  has  the  shape  of  a human 
head.  From  here  begins  the  descent  to  the  valley,  in 
which  there  is  a little  town,  Tokita,  on  the  shores  of 
the  large  bay  of  Omura.  Connection  is  made  by  a 
small  steamer  with  Omura,  which  was  the  former 
residence  of  the  prince  of  the  same  name.  When 
the  Portuguese  came  to  Japan  they  settled  near 
Nagasaki,  and  Prince  Omura  became  a Christian. 
Seeing  that  Nagasaki,  thanks  to  the  foreigners,  had 
grown  from  a little  village  to  a large  and  prosperous 
town,  the  Shogun  took  possession  of  it  for  himself 
and  sent  a governor  to  rule  it.  The  celebrated  resi- 
dence of  Prince  Omura  has  lost  is  significance,  and 
only  when  the  cherry  tree  blossoms  do  the  Eu- 
ropeans go  there  to  picnic,  and  the  old  walls  of  the 
castle  resound  with  life  again  for  a time. 


266  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

In  order  to  reach  Sannoghi  we  had  to  change  to  a 
worse  boat.  It  is  quite  wonderful  that  accidents  are 
not  more  frequent  with  such  tiny  boats,  for  the 
storms  are  very  hard  and  the  bay  very  large,  and 
these  small  steamers  encounter  difficulty  in  riding 
moderate-sized  seas. 

On  the  road  from  Sannoghi  to  Uresino,  which  is 
very  picturesque,  there  are  many  sugar  and  tea  plan- 
tations, and  in  Uresino  there  are  hot  springs.  In- 
stead of  going  straight  to  the  north,  as  most  people 
do,  I returned  to  Sannoghi,  and,  going  by  way  of 
Kawatama  and  Haiki,  visited  the  naval  port  of 
Sasebo,  where  there  are  many  European  buildings 
and  great  sums  are  spent  for  the  docks  and  quays. 
From  there  we  continued  to  Arita,  well  known  for 
its  porcelain  works.  The  near  vicinity  of  the  porce- 
lain factories  is  evident  by  the  presence  of  white 
clay,  white  stone,  broken  china,  and  even  in  the  vil- 
lages one  sees  vases  and  platters  lying  around. 

On  the  road  to  Takeo  I had  a curious  experience. 
At  certain  points  along  the  road  great  baskets  of 
fruit  are  placed,  with  no  one  to  guard  them.  The 
passer-by  selects  whatever  fruit  he  likes,  and  drops  a 
few  coins  into  the  basket.  Takeo  is  a very  pretty 
little  spot,  spread  out  at  the  foot  of  a mountain  cov- 
ered with  forest.  The  temperature  of  the  hot  spring 
is  3^4  R.,  and  is  efficacious  in  cases  of  rheumatism, 
skin  disease,  etc.,  and  also  good  for  melancholia. 
Surely  it  must  be  so,  as  the  whole  night  through  I 
could  not  sleep  for  the  noises  of  singing,  shrieking, 
and  laughter. 

About  an  hour’s  ride  from  Takeo  opens  a broad 
valley,  where  in  many  places  the  people  were  liar- 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  267 

vesting.  This  region  is  renowned  for  the  superior 
quality  of  its  rice.  On  the  road  there  are  two  coal 
mines  and  a great  reservoir  of  water  for  irrigating 
purposes.  It  is  very  unique  the  way  the  wheel  is 
turned  by  a man  who  treads  it.  I have  seen  such 
irrigating  arrangements  in  India. 

The  principal  town  of  the  province  (ken),  Saga, 
is  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  fields,  and  makes  the 
same  impression  as  Kumamoto.  The  inhabitants 
seem  to  be  very  thrifty. 

The  next  place  of  interest  was  Dazaifu,  where, 
amidst  beautiful  surroundings,  there  is  a temple 
which  was  erected  in  the  seventh  century  A.  D.  The 
court  of  the  temple  is  embellished  with  bronze  fig- 
ures of  horses,  cows,  and  lions.  In  the  portico  of 
the  shrine  there  are  always  many  pictures,  and 
among  them  a portrait  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  done 
by  a Japanese,  and  presented  to  the  temple.  There 
you  can  also  see  the  portraits  of  the  hundred  Japa- 
nese poets  and  an  exhibition  of  swords  by  renowned 
masters.  As  for  the  treasures  of  the  temple,  there 
are  few  left,  as  one  of  the  shrines  was  burned  not 
long  ago  with  all  its  belongings.  The  destruction 
by  fire  of  these  temples  is  not  infrequent,  and  wicked 
tongues  say  that  the  priests,  little  by  little,  sell  all 
that  is  valuable  in  the  temple,  and  one  fine  morning 
the  temple  is  destroyed  by  fire;  thus  all  traces  are 
lost.  The  government,  it  is  true,  sent  a commission 
to  put  on  record  all  the  treasures  of  the  temples;  but 
how  can  this  prevent  fires? 

Near  the  temple  is  a beautiful  garden  with  a 
waterfall  and  a thousand-year-old  camphor  tree,  a 


268  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

race-course,  and  pond  with  crusian  carp,  which  come 
to  be  fed  when  you  clap  your  hands. 

After  Dazaifu  there  is  nothing  interesting  before 
reaching  Fukuoka,  which  is  a great  manufacturing 
center.  Fukuoka  and  Flakata  are  two  large  cities 
which  are  close  to  each  other,  and  can  be  counted  as 
one  city.  There  are  two  public  gardens,  a good 
theatre,  and  many  public  buildings.  There  I saw  on 
one  street  a sign  “tailer,”  instead  of  tailor.  It  is  in- 
teresting that  the  English  language  is  coming  into 
fashion.  I saw  a decrepit  old  man  studying  an 
English  vocabulary,  and  wondered  what  good  Eng- 
lish would  be  to  him. 

As  we  arrived  in  Kokura  I heard  a man  calling  out 
an  announcement : “To-day  there  will  be  a lecture  on 
the  public  opinion  of  the  future  parliament,  besides 
a lottery  for  a hundred  and  fifty  people,  every  num- 
ber drawing  a prize.”  Is  it  not  a curious  way  to 
promote  political  propaganda  ? 

From  Kokura  four  boats  leave  every  day  for  Shi- 
monoseki,  which,  being  on  the  main  line  between 
Japan  and  Korea,  has  assumed  some  importance  and 
provided  itself  with  some  foreign  restaurants,  but  on 
the  whole  resembles  all  other  Japanese  towns.  In 
1864  Shimonoseki,  as  we  know,  was  bombarded  by 
the  combined  European  squadrons. 

The  road  from  Shimonoseki  to  Yoshida  first  fol- 
lows the  sea  coast,  then  turns  inland.  The  country 
is  hilly,  with  vegetation  like  in  Kiushiu.  Palm 
trees,  latanias,  and  the  long-leaved  banana  decorate 
the  small  spaces  in  front  of  the  peasant  houses.  In 
Yoshida  I saw  a curious  bath,  worth  mentioning. 
Generally  the  baths  in  Japan  are  arranged  in  the  fol- 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  269 

lowing  manner : In  the  corner  of  a wooden  tub  is  a 
sort  of  chimney  or  small  stove,  in  which  hot  coals 
are  put  to  warm  the  water.  But  the  bath  in  Yo- 
shida  of  which  I speak  consists  of  a kettle,  large 
enough  to  hold  a man,  sunk  in  clay  walls,  and  into 
which  water  is  poured  and  a fire  lighted  underneath. 
A board  is  placed  at  the  bottom  of  the  kettle  to  pre- 
vent the  bather  from  burning  his  feet.  I did  not 
wish  to  be  boiled  alive,  and  soon  craved  mercy. 

One  could  judge  by  many  signs  that  the  people  of 
this  region  are  very  thrifty.  Before  every  house 
there  were  plenty  of  grain-winnowing  and  other 
hand  machines.  One  never  sees  steam  thrashers  in 
Japan,  which  is  easily  explained  by  the  cheapness  of 
hand  labor.  Many  houses  in  Yoshida  are  covered 
with  glazed  tiles,  which  look  very  pretty.  The  coun- 
try is  well  populated,  as  at  every  step  there  is  a large 
village.  It  seemed  to  me  that  the  type  of  face  here 
was  more  regular.  In  spite  of  the  cold  there  were 
asters  and  many  other  flowers  blooming  in  the  gar- 
dens, and  all  was  as  green  and  fresh  as  in  summer. 
Among  the  pines  I could  see  orange  trees,  bamboos, 
and  big  cameiias.  In  Miyaichi,  where  we  passed  the 
night,  we  visited  a temple,  near  which  I saw  a sign, 
“Here  lessons  in  English  are  given.”  Later  we  saw 
that  the  temple  was  lighted,  and  it  seems  there  was 
a public  lecture  on  “The  Independence  of  the  State.” 

In  Murozima  a private  pavilion  was  prepared  for 
us  which  commanded  a magnificent  view  of  the  sea, 
and  in  spite  of  the  cold  we  were  very  comfortable. 
Our  kurumayas  had  run  twelve  ri  that  day,  and  you 
must  remember  that  we  had  taken  them  upon  leaving 
Shimonoseki.  There  was  a nobleman  among  them 


270  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

who  had  lost  all  his  fortune  in  different  speculations. 
He  had  managed  also  a theatrical  troupe. 

From  Yanai  the  road  is  very  picturesque,  remind- 
ing one  of  the  celebrated  Corniche,  or  the  southern 
coast  of  the  Crimea.  The  day  was  beautiful,  the 
weather  perfect,  and  I enjoyed  to  the  utmost  the 
views  of  the  Inland  Sea,  which  is  literally  covered 
with  small  islands.  What  a varied  panorama  is 
spread  before  the  eye.  There  is  a piece  of  blue  sky, 
then  a queerly  shaped  island,  then  again  the  smooth 
surface  of  the  sea,  sprinkled  with  sails,  and  so  on 
until  in  the  blue  mist  of  the  horizon  glimmer  the 
outlines  of  the  far-off  mountains.  No  words  can 
describe  it,  and  I doubt  if  a painter’s  brush  would 
give  the  wonderful  coloring  of  this  region,  looking 
at  which  one  can  easily  imagine  paradise.  You  in- 
voluntarily think,  “There  is  a place  in  which  I could 
spend  my  life.”  But  do  not  take  the  thought 
seriously;  we  are  so  created  that  from  such  a de- 
lightful spot  we  will  be  attracted  to  the  noise  and 
confusion  of  a great  city  with  its  teeming,  active 
life. 

From  Kamino-ha  we  sailed  in  a flat-boat  to  the 
neighboring  island  of  Miyajima,  celebrated  for  its 
beauty  (one  of  the  three  great  views  of  Japan). 
Excepting  the  village  near  the  temple,  there  are  few 
inhabitants  on  the  island,  and  the  deer  are  running 
perfectly  tame  in  the  forest.  On  this  island  no  one 
dies,  and  there  are  no  cemeteries.  If  by  chance  a 
person  dies,  he  is  transported  quickly  to  the  opposite 
shore. 

As  death  is  banished  from  this  island,  so  also  is 
birth,  and  a woman  in  a delicate  position  must  move 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  271 

over  to  the  mainland,  living  apart  from  the  inhabi- 
tants and  eating  alone.  The  inhabitants  make 
wooden  cups,  trays,  ash-holders,  cigar  cases  and 
boxes,  and  these  objects  are  held  sacred  by  the  Japa- 
nese. One  temple  on  the  mountain  was  built  by 
Hideyoshi  out  of  the  heaviest  wood  of  the  forest.  On 
the  heights  is  a five-storied  tower  which  is  said  to 
sway  in  a high  wind.  In  the  portico  of  the  temple 
are  many  treasures  of  Japanese  art.  They  are  all 
offerings,  such  as  pictures,  masks,  embroideries,  etc. 

A little  farther  a hotel  and  tea-house  are  luxu- 
riously arranged,  with  gardens,  pavilions,  small 
waterfalls — all  in  Japanese  taste;  and  from  a certain 
spot  there  is  a view  to  be  had  of  the  whole  island. 
Our  return  trip  was  not  so  comfortable,  as  the  sea 
was  rough  and  tossed  us  about  so  that  we  were  glad 
to  set  foot  on  shore.  By  evening  we  had  reached 
Hiroshima,  situated  on  a large  river  about  one  ri 
from  the  sea.  The  broad  streets,  shops,  lights,  many 
restaurants  on  the  river  banks,  and  great  animation, 
all  showed  us  that  we  had  reached  a large  city.  The 
town  is  the  headquarters  of  a regiment,  and  many 
soldiers  were  to  be  seen  in  the  streets.  The  follow- 
ing morning,  when  we  left  Hiroshima,  the  weather 
was  cold  and  the  fog  hung  thick  in  the  hollows  be- 
tween the  mountains,  like  white  shrouds;  but  the 
sky  was  blue,  without  a cloud.  From  the  port  we 
went  in  a boat  to  Kure,  which  is  a naval  station,  and 
lias  cost  the  Japanese  government  several  millions. 
Most  of  the  buildings  are  European,  constructed  of 
bricks  and  granite,  which  can  be  had  in  the  vicinity. 

From  Hiroshima  the  road  climbs  the  mountain, 
and  in  the  neighborhood  one  meets  pedestrians,  jin- 


272  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

rikshas,  and  merchants  with  wares;  but  the  farther 
one  climbs  the  rarer  become  habitations,  until  there 
are  stretches  of  miles  without  any  sign  of  life,  only 
the  silence  of  pine  forests.  As  darkness  came  on 
we  lost  the  high  road,  and  groping  along  a narrow 
path  my  kurumayas  upset  my  jinriksha.  In  Yakake 
there  was  some  difficulty  about  my  passport.  You 
must  know  that  foreigners  are  not  allowed  to  travel 
beyond  the  treaty  limit,  and  one  has  to  secure  a 
passport  from  the  Japanese  authorities  for  all  the 
places  you  intend  visiting.  My  passport  was  not 
very  explicit,  although  I was  in  my  right.  First  a 
police  officer  visited  me,  and  I offered  him  tea,  cake, 
and  wine.  Later  the  chief  of  the  district  arrived, 
and  he  was  treated  likewise.  Finally,  all  misunder- 
standings being  arranged,  I was  allowed  to  proceed, 
and  the  chief  of  the  district  presented  me  with  a 
local  dish,  yubesh,  which  tasted  very  good,  and  con- 
sisted of  lemon  skin,  beans,  rice,  salt,  ginger,  and 
sugar.  I returned  the  compliment  by  presenting 
him  with  biscuits  and  candy,  and  we  parted  great 
friends.  In  Yakake  our  kurumayas  demanded  their 
pay,  and  spent  every  cent  of  it  the  same  night.  The 
nobleman  frequently  felt  unequal  to  his  task,  but  his 
pride  would  not  allow  him  to  acknowledge  it,  and 
he  always  tried  to  keep  up  with  the  others. 

Okayama  is  situated  in  a plain  surrounded  by 
high  mountains,  and  boasts  of  a citadel,  of  which 
the  walls  and  a five-storied  tower  remain.  This 
Siro  occupies  a large  space,  now  covered  with  mag- 
nificent trees.  Of  all  the  gardens  I saw  in  Japan 
the  one  in  Okayama  is  the  most  beautiful.  I will 
not  speak  of  the  Japanese  part  of  it,  but  of  a greater 
part,  with  old  trees  growing  as  nature  chooses,  allees 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  273 

of  palms,  latanias,  magnolias,  great  fruit  trees, 
through  the  silence  of  which  fresh  breezes  pass — it 
is  really  magnificent.  Here  and  there  stands  a build- 
ing dropped  seemingly  in  this  endless  extent  of  park. 

The  hotel  was  comparatively  luxurious,  but  in  the 
Japanese  room  the  temperature  was  only  6 R.,  on 
account  of  a high  wind.  In  the  European  room 
there  was  a Chinese  table  so  heavy  that  it  was  im- 
possible to  move  it.  The  pretty  daughter  of  the 
house  could  not  manage  to  sit  on  a chair  of  Chinese 
make,  but  scpiatted  generally  on  the  matting  at  my 
feet.  Suddenly  there  was  a terrible  commotion  in 
the  house,  and  the  servants  were  running  hither  and 
thither  in  great  confusion.  I thought  there  must  be 
a fire,  but  it  turned  out  to  be  a thief  who  had  stolen 
a great  copper  basin,  and  in  spite  of  the  appeals  of 
the  mistress  to  her  neighbors  he  had  escaped. 

Okayama  is  noted  for  its  bronze  and  porcelain 
work,  the  latter  being  quite  original  on  account  of  its 
dark  brown  color,  which  looks  very  like  old  bronze. 
After  Katakani  the  road  begins  to  ascend,  and  we 
were  soon  in  the  heart  of  a wild,  mountainous  coun- 
try. An  inscription  on  a stone  says  that  the  Em- 
peror passed  here  in  such  and  such  a year. 

This  morning  all  the  country  was  covered  by  a 
heavy  frost.  The  white  tops  of  the  mountains  shone 
like  diamonds,  rising  out  of  the  bright  green  and 
masses  of  flowers  scattered  over  the  fields. 

The  road  leading  from  Une  to  Himeji  is  very 
good,  and  as  we  crossed  the  river  I noticed  a very 
large  boat  with  a wheel.  It  turned  out  to  be  a mov- 
able mill.  The  boat  lies  at  anchor  and  the  force  of 
the  current  turns  the  wheel.  At  Akashi  the  journey 
was  finished,  and  I took  the  railroad  to  Kobe. 


Chapter  XXIV 


Japanese  family  life — Birth — Sad  fate  of  women — Marriage — 
Adoption — Divorce — Hara-kiri — Funeral  of  a prince. 


On  the  seventh  clay  after  birth  a Japanese  child 
receives  a name.  Of  course  we  mean  a Japanese 
male  child,  as  a female  child*  is  kept  three  days  under 
the  floor  to  show  that  women  belong-  to  the  earth, 
while  men  belong  to  heaven.  When  the  child  reaches 
the  age  of  one  month  his  head  is  shaved.  After  the 
purification  the  mother,  in  holiday  attire,  carries  him 
to  the  temple,  and  offering  some  coins  thanks  the 
family  deity  for  the  birth  of  a son.  Then  he  is 
presented  to  all  his  relations,  who  make  him  various 
symbolical  presents.  When  he  is  four  months  old 
he  is  dressed  like  a grown-up  person.  On  the  elev- 
enth day  of  the  eleventh  month  only  certain  parts 
of  his  head  are  shaved,  and  at  the  fifteenth  year  he  is 
recognized  as  a man,  receives  a new  name,  changes 
his  hair-dress  and  can  marry.  The  great  aim  of  the 
Japanese,  like  the  Chinese,  is  to  preserve  the  uninter- 
rupted lineal  descendence  of  the  family,  and  the 
eldest  son  is  recognized  as  heir.  But,  if  in  a family 
there  are  only  daughters,  the  parents  seek  a husband 
for  the  eldest,  adopt  him,  and  he  takes  the  name  of 
his  father-in-law.  After  the  marriage  the  young 
people  live  with  the  parents.  Generally  such  sons- 


*This  was  a former  custom 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  275 

in-law  are  very  poor  and  their  position  is  not  very 
enviable.  There  is  a Japanese  saying  that  he  who 
has  but  three  measures  of  rice  bran  should  never 
enter  another’s  family.  With  the  death  of  his  father- 
in-law  the  young  man’s  position  changes  and  he  be- 
comes the  head  of  the  house ; even  his  mother-in-law 
comes  under  his  rule,  and  he  decides  about  the  mar- 
riage of  his  sisters-in-law.  Sometimes  when  the 
parents  want  to  retire  from  active  life  and  live  by 
themselves  (inkio)  the  children  give  them  a pension, 
and  in  this  case  the  son-in-law  takes  the  place  of  the 
father  and  assumes  the  direction  of  the  family. 

You  see  by  this  that  the  woman  has  no  rights  in 
the  family.  Until  marriage  she  is  the  property  of 
her  father,  eldest  brother,  or  brother-in-law  who  has 
been  adopted  into  the  family. 

Confucius  considers  women  as  children  who  are 
destined  to  a permanent  minority.  A woman’s  life 
consists  of  three  submissions:  before  her  marriage 
to  the  head  of  the  house,  afterwards  to  the  husband, 
and  as  a widow  to  her  eldest  son.  Buddhists  are 
even  more  strict  with  regard  to  women;  they  say 
that  she  has  the  face  of  an  angel,  but  the  heart  of  a 
demon ; and  in  some  places  even  her  coiffure  was 
arranged  to  cover  up  horns.  Women  were  pro- 
hibited from  going  up  to  the  holy  mountain  Nantai 
San. 

The  idea  that  women  are  inferior  creatures  has  not 
changed  up  to  the  present  time,  and  the  Japanese 
laugh  at  Europeans  who  treat  women  as  their  equals. 
The  birth  of  a girl  is  counted  a disappointment, 
therefore  the  Japanese  speak  of  having  so  many 
sons  and  so  many  disappointments.  Before  her  mar- 


276  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

riage  the  power  of  the  head  of  the  house  over  a girl 
is  absolute.  A father  can  give  his  daughter  into  a 
house  of  ill-fame  as  a means  of  bettering  his  own 
financial  condition  and  she  has  no  right  to  protest. 
When  the  government  tried  to  interfere  with  such 
sales  the  fathers  did  not  lose  anything,  for  they  sim- 
ply borrowed  the  money,  giving  their  daughters  as 
security,  or  hiring  them  out  for  several  years  until 
the  debt  was  paid,  thus  evading  the  law.  In  the 
choice  of  her  husband  a girl  has  also  no  voice.  For- 
merly the  princes  and  Kuge  had  to  ask  permission  of 
the  Emperor  to  marry,  the  daimio  of  the  Shogun, 
and  the  Shisoku  of  their  daimios,  and  formerly  mar- 
riage was  not  permitted  between  the  nobility  and  the 
common  people.  But  all  this  has  been  done  away 
with,  and  marriage  now  consists  merely  in  registra- 
tion, that  is,  the  couple  wishing  to  contract  marriage 
must  notify  the  chief  of  the  district  and  their  names 
are  registered  in  the  lists  of  the  district. 

Marriage  is  generally  arranged  by  the  parents  with 
the  aid  of  the  go-between  (nakodo).  If  all  goes 
smoothly,  a meeting  is  arranged  at  the  theatre,  or 
on  a picnic.  Formerly  the  higher  classes  were  not 
allowed  to  see  each  other  until  the  day  of  the  mar- 
riage. After  the  meeting  the  fiance  sends  presents, 
which,  if  they  are  accepted  by  the  parents  of  the 
bride,  concludes  the  agreement. 

Then  they  choose  a happy  day  for  the  marriage. 
Now  about  the  happy  day.  The  first  day  of  the  new 
year  the  priest  in  Ise  publishes  a calendar  in  which 
are  announced  the  lucky  days  in  the  year,  some  for 
marriage,  some  for  travel.  If  it  is  a question  of 
adopting  his  son-in-law,  he  is  presented  to  the  family 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


2 77 


and  acquaintances  of  the  fiance,  and  the  ceremony 
of  the  drinking  of  sake  takes  place  without  the  bride. 
The  fiance  exchanges  cups  three  times,  first  with 
his  father-in-law,  then  with  his  mother-in-law. 

If  the  bride  marries  into  another  family  then  she 
must  go,  dressed  in  white,  accompanied  by  the  go- 
between,  to  the  house  of  her  future  husband.  She 
takes  with  her  the  bride’s  presents,  a piece  of  silk 
material,  the  so-called  ceremonial  garment,  the  sash, 
a fan,  and  paper.  She  must  also  take  presents  for  the 
parents  and  relations  of  her  bridegroom. 

In  the  marriage  ceremony,  which  consists  in  drink- 
ing sake,  the  bride,  the  groom,  the  go-between  and 
bis  wife,  and  two  girls  who  pour  the  sake  take  part. 
The  cup  with  rice  brandy  passes  in  turn  from  the 
groom  to  the  bride  three  times  three,  or  nine  times 
(san  san  kudo). 

After  the  ceremony  the  young  couple  receive  the 
congratulations  of  the  parents,  and  of  the  go-between 
and  his  wife,  who  then  conduct  them  to  their  room, 
where  they  again  drink  sake.  After  the  san  san  kudo 
the  bride  changes  her  costume  for  a colored  one  with 
a pattern  on  it  (the  present  of  the  groom’s  parents), 
the  same  thing  being  done  by  the  groom.  Then  the 
relatives  and  acquaintances  arrive  to  congratulate 
the  young  couple  again,  who  then  retire  to  their 
apartment. 

After  the  marriage  the  woman  submits  entirely  to 
the  will  of  her  husband,  or  if  he  is  not  the  head  of  the 
house,  to  his  father  or  grandfather.  The  husband 
manages  all  her  property,  and  Bousquet  says  that 
he  even  has  the  right  to  sell  his  wife.  (Bousquet, 
“Le  Japon  de  Nos  Jours.”)  A moralist  of  the 


278  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

eighteenth  century,  Kaibara,  says  in  regard  to  the 
relations  of  husband  and  wife,  that  the  wife  must 
look  upon  her  husband  as  the  master  and  serve  him 
with  all  the  respect  of  which  she  is  capable.  In  all 
her  relations  she  must  act  with  gentleness,  humility, 
and  repect,  and  obey  his  orders  without  question, 
being  submissive  even  when  he  flies  into  a rage.  She 
must  look  upon  him  as  upon  heaven  itself,  and  try 
her  best  to  accomplish  his  will,  in  order  to  avoid 
divine  punishment.  (Chamberlain,  “Things  Jap- 
anese,” 433.  Kaibara.) 

If  it  is  not  in  direct  opposition  to  the  old  Japanese 
customs,  one  can  say  that  European  civilization  has 
modified  in  many  respects  the  family  relations,  and 
already  in  many  households  the  Japanese  woman  is 
not  treated  as  a slave;  and  the  custom  of  Japanese 
married  women  of  blackening  their  teeth  and  shav- 
ing their  brows  is  already  going  out  of  fashion  in 
the  higher  classes,  it  only  being  seen  away  from  the 
capital  and  among  the  lower  classes.  Unfaithful- 
ness on  the  part  of  the  wife  gives  the  husband  the 
right  to  drive  her  out  of  his  house,  or  even  kill  her 
if  he  finds  her  in  flagrante  delicto  with  her  lover. 

The  husband,  in  case  of  infidelity  on  his  part,  is 
not  subject  to  punishment.  Old  custom  has  or- 
dained that  the  husband,  besides  his  wife,  can  intro- 
duce into  the  house  concubines  (mekake).  The 
daimio,  according  to  the  “hundred  laws  and  regula- 
tions,” could  have  eight  mekake,  men  of  less  import- 
ance five,  and  those  of  the  lower  class  not  one.  The 
mekakes  are  in  reality  only  servants  presented  to  the 
husband  by  the  wife.  If  the  mekake  has  a son  by  her 
master,  the  lawful  wife  is  considered  the  child’s 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


279 


mother,  while  the  real  mother  is  always  treated  by 
her  son  as  a servant.  If  the  lawful  wife  has  no  son, 
the  son  of  the  mekake  is  adopted,  and  looked  upon  as 
the  rightful  heir  of  the  family  even  if  afterwards 
sons  are  born  to  the  lawful  wife. 

The  power  of  the  father,  like  in  ancient  Rome,  is 
unlimited,  and  he  can  if  he  so  desires  deprive  his 
eldest  son  of  his  birthright;  but  in  case  he  makes  no 
will  the  property  goes  to  the  eldest  son,  who  then  be- 
comes the  head  of  the  family.  Daughters  receive 
nothing.  We  already  know  that  when  there  is  no 
male  issue  the  son-in-law  is  adopted  to  continue  the 
line  of  descendence  and  fulfil  the  rites  demanded  by 
the  cult  of  ancestors.  The  Japanese  avail  themselves 
very  largely  of  this  right  of  adoption,  and  there  are 
cases  when  the  adopted  son  is  older  than  his  adoptive 
parent.  Thanks  to  this  law,  many  great  families 
can  boast  of  a lineal  succession  of  several  centuries, 
and  the  Imperial  family  of  an  unbroken  line  of  two 
thousand  years,  or,  as  is  the  belief  in  Japan,  for  “ages 
eternal.” 

The  husband  can  divorce  from  his  wife  for  the 
following  reasons:  1st.  If  the  wife  reaches  fifty 

years  of  age  without  having  children;  2d.  Adultery; 
3d.  In  case  of  disobedience  or  disrespect  to  the  par- 
ents of  the  husband;  4th.  Talkativeness;  5th.  Theft; 
6th.  If  she  is  jealous;  7th.  In  case  of  inherited  dis- 
ease. The  wife  can  ask  divorce  in  case  the  husband 
leaves  the  country  or  deserts  her  during  a period  of 
three  years,  if  there  are  no  children;  and  if  there  are 
children,  during  a period  of  five  years. 

A divorce  is  obligatory  on  both  sides  if  the  hus- 
band or  wife  uses  violence  toward  the  parents  of 


280  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

either  side.  But  divorce  is  attended  by  many  for- 
malities and  decided  in  solemn  conclave  by  the  rela- 
tions of  both  sides. 

In  spite  of  this  there  were  in  1886,  315,311  mar- 
riages and  117,964  divorces;  in  1891,  325,625  mar- 
riages and  112,411  divorces;  in  1896,  330,467 
marriages  and  118,322  divorces.  (Martin,  “Le 
Japon  Vrai.”) 

In  cases  of  marriage  of  Japanese  with  foreign 
women,  the  consent  of  the  Japanese  Government  is 
necessary,  and  in  this  case  the  woman  comes  under 
Japanese  law.  In  the  high  society  of  Tokyo  there 
have  been  several  such  marriages,  and  generally  the 
life  of  European  or  American  women  is  quite  toler- 
able, as  such  households  are  modified  on  European 
lines.  In  these  houses  there  are  two  parts — the 
European,  which  is  used  for  receptions  and  official 
life,  and  the  Japanese  part,  for  the  intimate  and  fam- 
ily life.  It  is  very  difficult  for  a European  woman 
to  enter  an  old  Japanese  family  and  submit  to  all 
the  demands  of  Japanese  life.  The  marriage  of  Euro- 
pean men  with  Japanese  women  is  not  very  frequent. 
I am  not  speaking  of  concubinage,  described  with  so 
much  talent  by  Pierre  Loti  in  “Madame  Chrysan- 
theme.”  During  my  peregrinations  I knew  a Euro- 
pean who  married  into  a Japanese  family  and  was 
adopted  as  son-in-law  by  his  wife’s  family,  assumed 
the  name  of  his  wife,  and  became  a Japanese  subject. 

Idas  the  position  of  woman  changed  after  thirty 
years  of  reform?  The  new  code  of  1899  provides 
that  the  woman  can  have  her  own  property,  can,  un- 
der certain  conditions,  be  the  head  of  the  family,  and 
have  a certain  vote  in  municipal  councils.  In  banks 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  281 

and  railway  offices  women  are  employed  as  clerks, 
and  even  I can  name  a Japanese  woman,  a Mrs.  Hiru- 
oka,  who  saved  a great  banking  establishment  from 
failure  and  is  now  managing  very  successfully  a great 
fortune.  Some  of  the  women  of  Japan  object  to  the 
new  code,  which  denies  them  the  right  of  divorce  in 
case  of  adultery  of  the  husband.  The  concubine  is 
not  recognized  by  the  law,  but  nevertheless  she 
wields  a great  power,  frequently  more  than  the  law- 
ful wife,  and  the  Japanese  themselves  admit  that  it 
will  take  five  centuries  for  monogamy  to  take  root 
in  the  country.  One  must  admit  that  even  law  is 
unable  to  change  many  customs  of  family  life. 

The  Japanese,  under  pressure  of  European  custom, 
will  perhaps  cede  the  first  place  to  his  wife  in  public, 
but  in  his  intimate  life  he  is  of  the  opinion  that  the 
best  in  the  world  belongs  to  the  man,  the  wife  can 
have  the  leavings.  There  is  a Japanese  saying,  “the 
root  of  the  turnip  belongs  to  the  man,  the  leaves  to 
the  woman.”  In  even  the  highest  families  the  master 
of  the  house  eats  first,  the  wife  serving  him ; and  in  a 
restaurant,  if  he  is  accompanied  by  his  wife  and 
daughters,  he  treats  himself  to  the  best  the  restau- 
rant affords,  while  they  sit  and  look  at  him  eat. 
When  a couple  goes  out  the  wife  must  hold  the  um- 
brella over  her  husband.  Apropos  of  this  I saw  a very 
good  cartoon  in  a Japanese  paper.  On  one  side  was 
a Japanese  woman  with  her  baby  swung  on  her  back 
and  a great  bundle  on  her  arm,  her  husband  march- 
ing before  with  his  hands  in  his  pockets,  his  face 
expressing  surprise  and  wonder  as  he  watches  an 
under-sized  American  man  with  a great  traveling- 
bag  on  his  back,  carrying  on  the  left  arm  traveling 


282  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

blankets  and  in  the  hand  a valise,  while  the  huge 
American  woman  marches  before  with  a tiny  parasol 
in  her  hand. 

The  Buddhists  generally  bury  their  dead  near  the 
Buddhist  temples.  Cremation  is  not  frequent.  The 
corpse  is  placed  in  a sitting  position  in  a coffin  of 
white  wood,  his  head  resting  on  a pillow  of  tea  leaves. 
The  head  is  placed  toward  the  north  and  the  feet 
toward  the  south,  and  the  ceremony  varies  accord- 
ing to  the  rank  of  the  dead.  As  for  the  Shinto  burial 
rites,  it  would  be  interesting  to  give  a description  of 
the  funeral  of  Prince  Arisugawa,  uncle  of  the  reign- 
ing Emperor,  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Japanese 
armies.  During  the  war  with  China  he  went  to 
Hiroshima,  where  he  was  taken  ill  and  removed  to 
Suma,  where  he  died.  His  death  was  kept  a secret 
from  the  public  for  twelve  days,  until  his  body  could 
be  transported  to  his  Tokyo  palace.  This  fact  proves 
the  tenacity  of  tradition  with  the  Japanese,  who  be- 
lieve that  a prince  should  die  in  his  own  palace. 
The  Diet  voted  for  the  funeral  expenses  of  the  prince, 
20,000  yen.  Prayers  began  in  the  palace  before  day- 
light. The  representatives  of  the  Emperor,  of  the 
dowager  Empress,  and  of  the  Heir  Apparent,  made 
offerings  of  strips  of  paper  fastened  to  branches  of 
the  holy  tree  (sakaki).  All  the  princes,  princesses, 
and  high  officials  of  the  Court  were  present. 

The  cortege  left  the  palace  at  nine  o’clock.  At 
the  head  of  the  procession  marched  twenty  men 
with  white  garments  over  their  shoulders,  carrying 
branches  of  the  holy  tree  (sakaki),  artificial  flowers 
and  flags  with  pieces  of  paper  tied  to  them.  Follow- 
ing came  a simple  wooden  box  with  the  offerings  of 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  283 

the  relatives,  then  a number  of  Shinto  priests  on 
horseback,  and  walking,  also  dressed  in  flowing 
white  garments.  Following  these  were  the  bearers 
of  the  prince’s  chair,  his  orders,  his  arms,  lance,  and 
finally  came  the  army.  The  coffin  itself,  according  to 
Shinto  ritual,  was  of  the  greatest  simplicity,  of  white 
unpainted  wood  with  gold  ornaments.  The  uniform 
of  the  dead  was  used  as  a covering,  and  through  an 
opening  hung  one  sleeve,  while  fifty  men  carried  the 
coffin.  After  it  followed  his  servants,  leading  his 
horses,  some  carrying  his  sword  and  his  wooden 
shoes.  The  chief  mourner  came  next,  Prince  Take- 
hito,  dressed,  not  in  his  uniform  of  naval  officer, 
hut  in  the  deepest  mourning,  which  consisted  of  a 
Shinto  priest’s  costume,  a white  flowing  garment 
with  large  sleeves,  wide,  Turkish  trousers,  and  straw 
sandals  on  his  feet;  he  was  holding  in  his  hand  a 
bamboo  staff.  On  his  head  he  wore  a head-dress 
made  of  hair  which  had  the  form  of  a horn  of  plenty. 
Then  followed,  also  in  white  garments  and  brown 
Turkish  trousers,  with  their  hair  tied  at  the  neck 
and  streaming  down  their  hacks,  the  wife  of  the 
deceased,  his  sister,  and  other  female  relations. 
More  than  a hundred  carriages  followed  bearing  the 
peers  and  ministers.  In  the  procession  were  Bud- 
dhist priests  with  shaved  heads  and  yellow  garments, 
and  Shinto  priests  in  white  blouses.  The  cortege 
wound  up  with  six  hundred  soldiers.  The  music  of 
the  priests,  the  gentle,  unique  notes  of  the  pipes  and 
large  flutes,  contrasted  with  the  European  marches 
played  by  the  soldiers. 

At  the  cemetery  a wooden  shed  had  been  erected 
about  five  yards  long.  There  the  coffin  was  placed 


284  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

with  the  principal  offerings.  On  both  sides  of  the 
funeral  house  were  two  galleries  about  sixty-five 
yards  long,  where  chairs  were  placed.  In  the  left 
gallery  were  the  musicians,  the  near  relatives  of  the 
deceased,  the  representatives  of  the  Emperor  and 
other  members  of  the  Imperial  family,  officials  of 
the  War  and  Navy  Departments,  members  of  the 
Diet,  and  other  high  officials.  In  the  gallery  to  the 
right  were  placed  the  offerings  of  the  gods,  the 
Shinto  priests,  a bowl  of  water,  princes  of  the  blood, 
the  diplomatic  corps,  Court  ladies,  and  ministers. 

The  ceremony  was  most  simple,  and  consisted  in 
offering  to  the  deceased,  silk  and  food.  The  high 
priest  approached  the  coffin,  made  a deep  bow,  and 
clapped  his  hands,  and  after  him  followed  his  assist- 
ant and  the  other  priests  standing  in  pairs — all  this 
was  performed  to  the  notes  of  the  Japanese  pipe  and 
flute.  After  the  music  the  oldest  priest  and  his 
assistant  began  to  wail  in  a nasal  tone  the  words  of 
praise,  and  the  biography  of  the  deceased.  The  rep- 
resentative of  the  Emperor,  who  had  been  sitting  all 
this  time  with  his  hat  on,  approached  the  coffin,  with 
a deep  bow,  and  placed  a branch  of  sakaki  on  a spe- 
cial table ; the  same  thing  was  done  by  the  representa- 
tives of  the  Imperial  family,  by  the  princes,  and  all 
the  other  guests. 

During  the  ceremony  cannon  shots  were  fired  at 
intervals.  A small  house  had  been  erected,  in  which 
guests  were  treated  to  wine  and  sandwiches  after- 
wards. The  prince  received,  after  death,  the  neck- 
chain  of  the  Order  of  the  Chrysanthemum  and  the 
second  class  of  the  Military  Order  of  the  Falcon, 
with  the  following  rescript  of  the  Emperor : 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  285 

“Related  to  Us,  you  have  rendered  great  services 
during  the  restoration,  employing  your  knowledge 
and  military  talents  to  the  strengthening  of  the  Im- 
perial throne. 

“Your  merits  and  valorous  qualities  not  only  were 
respected  in  Japan,  but  beyond  her  limits.  Your 
actions  and  rare  services  have  not  their  equal  in  all 
the  ages,  your  deeds  are  like  wings  of  the  Imperial 
house,  and  the  columns  of  the  building  of  the  State. 
Now  we  have  a war  with  a neighboring  nation  and 
our  warriors  are  on  the  march.  You  fulfilled  the 
duties  imposed  upon  you,  daily  you  sat  in  the  coun- 
cils of  war,  and  to  your  faultless  plans  is  due  the 
great  success  of  the  present  campaign. 

“We  greatly  regret  your  untimely  demise,  which 
overtook  you  in  the  midst  of  your  great  actions. 
Therefore  we  have  ordered  our  high  master  of  cere- 
monies, Marquis  Nabeshima,  to  express  our  con- 
dolences.” 

On  the  grave  they  place  a stone  slab  with  a small 
wooden  placard  (ihai),  on  which  is  inscribed  the 
name  of  the  deceased  and  the  day  of  his  death,  and 
on  the  graves  are  planted  sakaki  or  sakura.  The 
third  or  ninth  month  after  death  the  relatives  repair 
to  the  cemetery  to  decorate  the  grave  with  branches 
of  evergreen  plants. 

Cremation  is  only  practised  by  the  Buddhist  sect, 
Monto ; but  it  is  spreading  more  and  more,  as  it  is  a 
source  of  income  to  the  Buddhist  monks.  It  is  di- 
vided into  three  classes — charging  three-quarters, 
one  and  a half,  and  one  and  a quarter  dollars  for 
cremation.  The  bones  and  ashes  are  given  over  to 
the  relatives,  who  preserve  them  in  special  urns. 


286 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


Finishing  with  the  funeral  service,  I cannot  let 
pass  in  silence  the  Japanese  institution  of  hara-kiri 
(seppuku),  or  legal  suicide. 

Hara-kiri  literally  means  stomach  cutting,  and 
was  resorted  to  for  ages  by  warriors  not  wishing  to 
fall  alive  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  Thus  this  cus- 
tom was  identified  with  the  warrior  class,  or,  better, 
the  feudal  nobility.  Later  on  it  was  only  the  privilege 
of  the  nobility.  By  the  law  of  the  year  1500,  people 
belonging  to  the  feudal  aristocracy  or  their  relatives 
could  escape  dishonor  and  capital  punishment  by 
committing  hara-kiri  before  witnesses,  in  which 
cases  it  was  accomplished  with  great  ceremony.  The 
suicide  took  leave  of  his  household  and  friends,  in- 
vited them  to  a banquet,  made  his  will,  and  then  be- 
fore the  witnesses  opened  his  stomach  with  a small 
sword,  sharp  as  a razor.  This  custom  is  not  entirely 
obsolete  even  now. 


Chapter  XXV 


Various  Japanese  customs — Tattooing — Massage — Moksa — 
Acupunctura — Jiujitsu — Superstitious  beliefs  and  fortune- 
telling. 

Living  in  Tokyo  for  several  years,  I must  say 
that  I never  went  out  without  seeing  something  new 
or  interesting.  But  as  they  were  tilings  that  hap- 
pened in  everyday  life,  I did  not  make  notes  of  them 
all ; yet  such  things  are  characteristic  of  Japanese 
life.  As  the  visitor  to  Russia  never  forgets  the  Rus- 
sian bath,  so  he  who  has  been  to  Japan  always  re- 
members the  unique  figure  of  the  blind  amnia  (mas- 
sagist),  at  the  time  of  the  evening  when  he  wanders 
about  the  streets  groping  his  way  with  a staff,  and 
making  plaintive  music  on  his  pipe,  warning  people 
to  make  way  for  him.  Massage  treatment  has  been 
long  used  in  Japan,  and  every  Japanese  after  his  hot 
bath  and  after  a journey  loves  to  have  his  body 
massaged.  The  ammas  form  a special  corporation, 
and  there  are  women  who  follow  this  calling,  but 
they  do  not  go  about  the  streets.  I have  spoken 
elsewhere  of  the  wrestlers,  but  there  is  another 
method  of  gymnastics  which  is  entirely  Japanese, 
and  was  formerly  only  practised  in  the  samurai 
class.  This  method  teaches  an  unarmed  man  to  re- 
sist attacks  of  those  who  are  stronger  than  himself. 
With  this  method  is  combined  a certain  training  of 
the  body.  Sobriety,  a certain  diet,  and  deep  breath- 


288  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

ing  are  obligatory.  I will  not  go  into  many  of  the 
details  of  jiujitsu,  as  there  are  numerous  books  writ- 
ten on  this  subject,  and  it  can  only  be  understood  by 
seeing  it  practised.  One  of  the  great  movements 
consists  in  fortifying  the  exterior  edge  of  the  hand, 
by  striking  it  repeatedly  on  a hard  object,  first  light- 
ly, then  with  more  and  more  force,  until  one  can 
break  a strong  cane  with  merely  the  side  of  the 
hand,  and  one  stroke  can  break  the  arm  of  a man. 
Such  a stroke  on  the  larynx  will  lay  an  adversary 
low;  and  the  outer  edge  of  the  hand  seems  in  Japan 
to  take  the  place  of  the  fist  in  Europe.  The  ini- 
tiated perfectly  understand  anatomy,  and  know  ex- 
actly where  a light  stroke  on  a nerve  will  produce 
temporary  paralysis.  They  are  so  well  taught  that 
through  the  masses  of  muscles  they  can  place  a finger 
on  the  nerve  which  will  paralyze  the  arm  or  leg  and 
put  the  adversary  hors  de  combat  instantly.  It  is 
not  only  ingenious,  but  really  scientific.  I have  also 
mentioned  before  the  Japanese  fondness  for  taking 
cures,  and  how  much  time  they  spend  in  hot  springs. 
Among  the  many  Japanese  treatments  is  puncturing 
of  the  skin  with  needles  and  moksa,  or  burning. 
There  is  scarcely  a Japanese  wdio,  besides  tattooing, 
does  not  bear  some  marks  of  moksa.  On  the  skin 
they  place  a wad  of  a fibrous  plant  ( Artemisia  vul- 
garis lati folia),  and  on  top  of  the  wad  they  place  a 
hot  coal  of  the  root  of  Silicium  religiosum.  Accord- 
ing to  the  Japanese  this  burning  preserves  them  from 
many  illnesses.  Instead  of  a mustard  plaster,  as  we 
use  in  Europe,  the  Japanese  use  tin  stomach  warm- 
ers, which  they  fill  with  hot  coals ; and  I have  heard 
European  doctors  express  their  approval  of  this  sys- 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


289 


tem.  Although  there  are  many  Japanese  doctors 
who  have  studied  medicine  in  Europe  and  America, 
and  have  a contempt  for  these  popular  remedies, 
still,  on  the  other  hand,  every  Japanese  town  has  its 
own  magician  or  medicine-man,  who  is  as  popular 
as  the  fortune-teller. 

Fortune-telling  has  existed  in  Japan  from  time 
immemorial.  At  first  it  consisted  in  interpreting  the 
quantity  and  quality  of  cracks  on  a deer’s  shoulder 
blade,  which  was  held  over  the  fire ; then  later  it  con- 
sisted in  putting  burning  coal  of  birch  bark  under  a 
tortoise.  In  this  case  the  magician  could  only  pre- 
dict after  seven  days  of  fast  and  prayer.  Fortune- 
telling by  little  blocks  was  borrowed  from  China. 
There  were  sixty-four  combinations — for  instance, 
letter  A meant  sky ; B,  morast ; C,  fire ; D,  thunder ; 
E,  wind,  etc. ; but  these  letters  had  several  meanings, 
which  were  searched  for  in  a book.  Astrologists, 
interpretation  of  dreams,  science  of  physiognomy, 
and  chiromancy  are  freely  practised  by  Japanese  for- 
tune-tellers, of  whom  many  gain  great  fortunes  and 
live  in  luxury.  Those  who  are  poor  propose  their 
counsel  on  the  streets  and  open  places,  and  there  pil- 
fer the  credulous  people. 

From  fortune-tellers  it  is  a natural  transition  to 
popular  superstitions  and  beliefs.  Let  us  begin  with 
those  which  presage  luck.  The  Japanese,  like  our- 
selves, say  that  a man  who  has  been  falsely  reported 
dead  will  live  long.  The  Japanese  believe  that  it  is  a 
good  sign  to  meet  a priest  in  the  morning.  In  Eu- 
rope a spider  in  the  morning  means  sorrow  (matin- 
chagrin)  ; in  Japan  you  are  told  to  kill  a spider  in 
the  evening,  even  if  he  resembles  your  own  father. 


290 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


White  spots  on  the  nails  means  a new  dress,  liver 
spot  on  the  neck,  a present  of  a new  dress ; liver  spot 
on  the  knee,  a voyage.  If  your  ear  itches  you  can 
expect  a present  the  next  day;  the  hand  itching  also 
means  a present ; if  the  sole  of  the  foot  itches,  some- 
thing dishonorable  will  happen  to  you.  It  is  a good 
sign  if  you  see  a carp  swimming  up  stream  or  if  you 
hear  the  cuckoo  for  the  first  time  in  a potato  field ; 
and  this  bird  brings  bad  luck  if  you  hear  it  the  first 
time  when  you  are  looking  in  the  mirror.  If  the 
bamboo  brings  forth  fruit  (which  is  very  rare),  it 
means  famine.  If  the  common  fish  iwasi  is  scarce, 
there  will  be  bad  weather.  If  a hen  crows  like  a 
rooster,  the  house  will  fall  down.  To  fall  in  a ceme- 
tery means  that  you  will  die  within  three  years;  it 
also  presages  misfortune  to  break  your  chopsticks 
while  you  are  eating. 

People  with  large  heads,  large  mouths,  broad 
foreheads,  and  large  ears  are  considered  lucky.  A 
wide  space  between  the  nose  and  the  upper  lip  means 
long  life.  Left-handed  people  are  always  clever,  as 
are  people  with  short  nails.  A long  tongue  shows 
inclination  to  thieving.  Big  nostrils  indicate  a 
spendthrift;  thin  lips,  talkativeness. 

Habits  are  also  explained  in  this  or  that  fashion. 
A man  who  pours  too  much  tea  on  his  rice  has  an 
unreliable  character;  he  who  dislikes  salted  vegeta- 
bles will  be  poor;  a woman  who  likes  burned  rice 
will  have  a pock-marked  husband. 

If  the  shadows  of  the  birds  fall  on  the  shutters 
you  may  expect  company;  also  if  a tea  leaf  stands 
perpendicularly  in  the  cup.  If  you  wish  to  get  rid 
of  a tiresome  guest  you  must  burn  with  moksa  his 
wooden  clogs  or  place  the  broom  upside  down. 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  291 

It  will  rain  if  the  cat  or  dog  eats  grass,  or  if  the. 
birds  bathe. 

There  are  many  ways  of  turning  luck  to  you  or 
turning  misfortune  from  you.  If  you  find  a worm 
in  a graft  you  must  eat  it,  as  it  is  good  for  the  stom- 
ach. You  can  stop  a flow  of  blood  by  pulling  three 
hairs  out  of  the  head. 

The  preventives  of  disease  are  very  numerous.  In 
Tokyo  you  will  frequently  see  small  tickets  with  a 
black  hand  on  them;  they  are  used  as  preventives 
against  smallpox.  If  you  see  a man  with  sore  eyes, 
look  at  him  fixedly  without  blinking.  To  wear  a 
ring  is  very  good  for  a pain  in  the  shoulders.  In 
order  not  to  take  cold,  put  warm  water  on  your 
shoulders  before  you  take  a bath.  For  aching  bones 
you  must  catch  a fish  ( Gobius  virgo).  It  is  espec- 
ially good  to  eat  beans  at  night.  He  who  eats  the 
first  fruits  and  vegetables  prolongs  his  life  seventy- 
five  days.  If  children  sleep  long  it  is  a sign  that 
they  will  live  long.  You  generally  see  in  Japanese 
houses  a crystal  ball,  which  is  supposed  to  protect 
the  house  from  ghosts,  devils,  thieves,  and  all  mis- 
fortunes. A tree  which  is  struck  by  lightning,  or 
even  a chip  of  it,  will  save  you  from  a lightning 
stroke ; the  mulberry  tree  acts  likewise. 

For  bad  dreams  and  nightmares  you  must  sleep 
with  your  finger  in  your  mouth.  Never  fill  in  a 
well.  He  who  kills  a cat  will  be  punished  for  seven 
generations.  Never  give  a present  of  a comb;  it 
makes  enmity. 

Many  sayings  serve  to  keep  the  people  clean  and 
orderly,  such  as  “Never  drink  out  of  a broken  piece 
of  pottery”;  “Do  not  spit  on  the  hibachi  or  throw 
crumbs  on  the  matting.” 


292  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

You  must  not  wash  the  pestle  which  crushes  the 
beans,  as  you  will  bring  death  to  your  father  and 
mother-in-law.  You  must  not  sweep  at  night  or  cut 
your  nails. 

There  are  many  customs  relating  to  the  cult  of 
fire,  and  the  sun,  as,  for  instance,  you  must  not 
throw  hair,  nails,  or  unclean  objects  into  the  fire. 
Rice  is  held  in  great  respect — you  must  not  throw 
it  about,  or  you  will  have  sore  eyes.  One  must  never 
throw  away  brushes  which  are  used  for  writing — 
they  must  be  offered  to  the  temple;  and  therefore 
one  sees  in  the  temples  heaps  of  these  brushes.  The 
same  thing  is  done  with  needles.  Of  special  interest 
are  the  superstitions  in  regard  to  animals  and  rep- 
tiles. Never  point  your  finger  at  a snake.  Held  in 
particular  respect  are  the  fox  and  the  rat,  which  re- 
ceive divine  honors;  the  monkey,  which  but  for 
three  hairs  would  have  been  a man;  ravens,  which 
know  the  future  three  years  beforehand ; geese  and 
swallows,  which  for  the  winter  depart  into  the  land 
of  immortality;  the  crane,  which  lives  a thousand 
years,  and  the  tortoise,  which  lives  ten  thousand. 
Many  animals  are  believed  to  have  the  power  of 
changing  their  shape;  for  instance,  the  sparrow  can 
change  into  a shell,  a snake  into  a dragon,  and  a 
frog  into  a toad.  I was  myself  a witness  of  the  re- 
spect generally  felt  for  the  toad.  In  my  garden  in 
Nagasaki,  besides  snakes,  there  were  many  huge 
toads.  One  day  I very  nearly  struck  one,  but  was 
prevented  by  my  porter,  who  told  me  that  the  souls 
of  one’s  grandfathers  and  grandmothers  went  into 
toads,  and  to  kill  one  would  bring  me  great  mis- 
fortune. 


PART  THIRD 


Chapter  XXVI 

Language — Written  language — Inconvenience  of  Chinese  influ- 
ence— Popular  instruction — Press — Literature — Novels  and 
popular  literature — New  tendencies. 


The  Japanese  language  was  formed  of  two  ele- 
ments— the  popular  Japanese  language  (yamato,  or 
nihon  no  kotoba;  that  is,  the  language  of  Yamato) 
and  the  Chinese,  adopted  by  Japan  from  China  it 
the  same  time  as  Buddhism.  Before  we  speak  of 
the  mingling  of  these  languages,  so  dissimilar  in 
character,  we  must  say  a few  words  of  languages  in 
general,  which  are  divided  in  the  following  groups: 
First,  monosyllabic  languages,  in  which  the  root 
represents  a certain  idea.  To  this  group  belongs 
the  Chinese.  To  the  second  belong  the  languages 
of  the  agglutinative  type,  where  a suffix  is  added  to 
the  root,  changing  the  sense  of  the  word.  The  Jap- 
anese language,  belonging  to  the  Uralo- Altaic  fam- 
ily, belongs  to  the  second  group.  To  the  third 
group,  with  inflective  endings,  belong  the  Indo-Eu- 
ropean languages. 

Having  determined  the  place  which  the  Japanese 
language  occupies,  we  will  add  that  it  differs  from 
the  Chinese,  in  that  it  is  polysyllabic  and  places  the 
verb  at  the  end.  The  Japanese  will  always  say : 


294  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

“The  lama  prayers  say,”  “Shepherd  flock  guards.” 
The  Japanese  popular  language  is  musical,  having 
many  vowels;  but,  in  substance,  is  poor  in  words, 
obscure  in  meaning,  and  has  no  grammar  nor  syn- 
tax. The  Japanese  noun  knows  no  distinction  of 
gender  or  number;  the  Japanese  adjective  has  no 
terminal  comparison;  the  Japanese  verb  is  proof  to 
the  distinction  of  number  and  person. 

To  the  question,  “Have  you  any  brothers?”  the 
Japanese  will  answer,  “There  are  four  men,  but  they 
are  all  women.”  Or  they  will  say,  instead  of  “see 
the  moon,”  “moon  see.”  Or  a more  complicated 
sentence  is,  “My  yesterday  on  meet  man  as  for  this 
morning’s  ninth  hour’s  train  by  Tokyo  to  went,” 
which  means,  “The  man  whom  I met  yesterday  went 
to  Tokyo  by  the  nine  o’clock  train  this  morning.” 
The  Japanese  language  being  so  involved,  imper- 
sonal, complicated,  neutral,  and  obscure,  we  must 
agree  with  Chamberlain,  who  says  that  it  is  the  most 
difficult  language  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  We  al- 
ready know  that  a Japanese  book  begins  at  the  end, 
is  read  from  top  to  bottom  in  lines  running  from 
right  to  left,  and  the  foot-notes  are  at  the  top  of  the 
page.  The  Chinese  language  mingling  with  the 
Japanese,  at  the  time  of  the  introduction  of  Budd- 
hism, did  not  blend  into  an  organic  whole  with  the 
native  Japanese  language,  but  formed  a curious  ag- 
glomerate, or  mosaic. 

When  the  Chinese  language  was  introduced  into 
the  Japanese  schools  there  was  no  effort  made  to 
change  the  native  grammar  on  Chinese  lines,  nor  to 
translate  Buddhist  books  or  the  works  of  Confucius 
into  the  Japanese.  The  aim  of  the  teachers  was  to 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  295 

conduct  the  teaching  of  the  two  languages  on  par- 
allel lines;  thus  Chinese  words  and  phrases  were 
adopted  wholesale.  Together  with  the  Chinese 
words  adopted  by  the  Japanese,  there  are,  of  course, 
synonymous  Japanese  words.  But  the  Chinese  col- 
oring proves  the  superior  education  of  the  Japanese, 
for  the  higher  his  culture  the  more  Chinese  words 
he  knows  and  employs.  To  be  more  clear,  it  is  as  if 
those  who  have  studied  classics  would,  in  their  con- 
versation, interpolate  whole  Greek  sentences — they 
would  be  understood  by  very  few. 

Therefore,  from  the  mingling  of  these  two  alien 
languages  several  idioms  have  originated:  1st.  The 
former  classical  Japanese  language,  yamato,  under- 
stood only  by  the  Shinto  priests  and  a few  literary 
men ; 2d.  The  present  official  language,  interspersed 
with  Chinese  words,  clumsy  and  obscure  of  mean- 
ing; 3d.  The  literary  language  used  by  the  press  and 
not  understood  by  the  common  people ; 4th.  The  lan- 
guage of  the  people. 

When  I was  in  Japan  I frequently  heard  that  so 
and  so  speaks  “woman’s  language,”  and  at  represen- 
tations of  old  dramas,  when  I would  ask  some  cul- 
tured Japanese  to  give  me  the  sense  of  what  was 
being  said,  he  would  generally  answer  that  no  one 
knew  the  meaning  except  the  Shinto  priests.  If  the 
Chinese  had  an  influence  on  the  spoken  language, 
still  greater  was  its  influence  on  the  written  lan- 
guage. 

The  Chinese  ideographic  characters  were  adopted 
as  a whole.  The  inconvenience  of  these  Chinese 
characters  is  apparent  when  you  think  that  it  takes 
seven  years  to  learn  them,  and  with  what  result? 


296 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


One  knows  by  heart  two  thousand  ideographs,  and 
can  read  a few  hooks,  but  not  all,  as  every  science 
has  its  special  signs.  Therefore  a Japanese,  like  a 
Chinese,  must  study  until  he  is  gray-haired  an  alpha- 
bet which  a European  child  will  learn  in  a month. 

The  handwriting  is  especially  difficult  to  under- 
stand, even  for  educated  Japanese,  as  in  writing  the 
Chinese  characters  they  use  more  freedom,  and  their 
characters  do  not  always  resemble  the  original  sign. 

The  Chinese  characters  adopted  by  the  Japanese 
may  he  read  with  the  Japonicized  Chinese  pronuncia- 
tion or  with  that  of  the  pure  Japanese  word  of  which 
it  is  the  equivalent.  For  instance,  hara-kiri  (Japa- 
nese) and  seppuku  (Chinese)  have  the  same  sign.  I 
have  often  seen  Japanese  and  Chinese  meet,  and,  not 
understanding  each  other,  begin  to  write,  which  silent 
conversation  made  matters  perfectly  clear. 

The  inconvenience  of  these  ideographs  was  appar- 
ent, and  the  Japanese  had  long  ago  the  idea  of  a 
phonetic  writing.  In  835  Kobo  Daishi  transformed 
forty-eight  Chinese  characters  into  a Japanese  alpha- 
bet, or,  more  literally,  into  a syllabarium,  which 
formed  a verse,  beginning  with  i-ro-ha,  and  called 
katakana.  Later  this  syllabarium  was  worked  over 
into  “quick  writing”  (hira  gana),  and  it  is  used  for 
popular  books;  while  if  in  the  text  Chinese  charac- 
ters occur  there  is  always  the  meaning  at  the  side  in 
katakana.  One  would  think  that  the  invention  of 
these  Japanese  syllabarium  would  do  away  with  the 
Chinese  characters,  but  this  is  not  the  case,  as  the 
Japanese  phonetic  writing  has  also  many  obstacles, 
one  of  the  principal  of  which  is  the  quantity  of 
homonyms.  Take,  for  example,  the  word  “to."  Its 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


297 


meaning  can  be  vomit,  door,  stick,  whetstone,  con- 
flict, weather,  fishing  rod,  this,  it  is,  etc.  So  in  using 
it  the  Japanese  have  to  explain  the  meaning  with  a 
Chinese  character.  This  is  why  books  written  for 
women  or  the  lower  class  are  filled  with  Chinese 
characters. 

Thus  the  foreigner  who  desires  to  study  Japanese 
literature  in  the  original  cannot  limit  himself  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  katakana  and  its  numerous  varia- 
tions (at  least  two  hundred  signs),  but  must  begin 
the  study  of  Chinese  characters,  which,  as  we  have 
said  above,  demands  a lifetime. 

In  view  of  these  difficulties  many  Europeans  ad- 
vise the  Japanese  to  give  up  Chinese  hieroglyphs  and 
adopt  the  European  alphabet. 

On  account  of  the  difficulties  one  encountered  in 
learning  only  the  alphabet,  in  the  beginning  of  Japa- 
nese history  education  fell  to  the  lot  of  very  few. 
From  the  year  791-707  we  hear  of  the  laws  of  the 
Emperor  Mombu  relating  to  popular  education.  The 
daimios  busied  themselves  with  the  education  of 
their  samurai,  which  consisted  of  etiquette,  music, 
archery,  riding,  writing — that  is,  the  Chinese 
signs — and  arithmetic.  The  higher  classes  studied 
Chinese  philosophy,  literature,  and  history.  In  that 
time  there  were  no  schools  for  the  lower  classes.  It 
was  only  at  the  time  of  the  Restoration  that  atten- 
tion was  turned  to  popular  education.  In  1871  a de- 
partment of  public  instruction  was  established.  The 
popular  education  in  Japan  is  obligatory,  but  not 
free.  By  the  law  every  child  must  go  to  school 
until  the  age  of  fourteen ; but  as  the  law  authorizes 
eleven-year-old  children  to  work  in  the  factories, 


298  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

they  finish  their  studies  at  the  loom,  and  there  are 
seldom  fourteen-year-old  children  in  the  elementary 
schools.  In  the  year  1896,  out  of  7,480,000  chil- 
dren of  school  age,  only  4,800,000  visited  schools; 
that  is,  only  65  per  cent. 

It  will  be  interesting  to  note  that  among  the 
newly  enlisted  soldiers  there  were  16  per  cent,  who 
had  passed  through  the  higher  popular  school,  41 
per  cent,  who  passed  through  the  elementary  school, 
26  per  cent,  knew  the  four  rules  of  arithmetic,  16  per 
cent,  did  not  know  them.  In  Osaka,  out  of  500,000 
workmen  from  ten  to  thirty  years  of  age,  350,000 
had  never  received  any  education. 

The  average  of  teachers  in  popular  schools  from 
1873  to  1878  was  47,000;  in  1901,  92,000,  receiving 
on  an  average  a salary  of  sixteen  yen  per  month 
(eight  dollars).  For  the  secondary  schools  we  have 
217  schools,  with  3,700  teachers  and  78,000  stu- 
dents. In  the  primary  schools  there  is  co-education 
of  boys  and  girls.  The  secondary  education  of 
women  is  still  in  its  infancy.  There  are  51  schools, 
with  12,000  pupils,  and  in  Tokyo  there  is  a private 
university  for  women. 

Regarding  higher  education,  there  are  two  uni- 
versities, one  in  Tokyo,  the  other  in  Kyoto. 

Of  what  does  Japanese  education  consist?  Metch- 
nikoff,  in  his  book  (“L’ Empire  Japonais”),  cites  the 
report  prepared  by  the  minister  of  public  instruc- 
tion for  the  Philadelphia  exposition.  In  the  ele- 
mentary schools,  according  to  this  report,  the  chil- 
dren learn  3,000  Chinese  characters;  those  who  pre- 
tend to  a good  education  must  know  from  eight  to 
ten  thousand  hieroglyphs.  Up  to  the  age  of  nine 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


299 


the  child  must  know  by  heart,  not  necessarily  under- 
standing the  sense,  Ivo-Kio  (son’s  devotion)  ; Toshi 
gen,  or  collection  of  poetry  of  the  Tan  dynasty  (five 
volumes)  ; Ko-hun-sin-po,  or  the  treasures  of  liter- 
ature, in  two  volumes.  In  the  secondary  schools  he 
is  taught,  1st,  Shiogak  (precepts  of  the  Chinese 
classics)  ; 2d,  Confucius;  3d,  Rongo,  a pupil  of  Con- 
fucius; 4th,  Mendzi;  5th,  Tzi  iu  (five  principles  of 
conduct)  ; 6th,  Nihon  gwai  zi;  7th,  Dai  nihon  ji  of 
the  Prince  Mito;  8th,  Sikio,  collection  of  poetry  in 
two  volumes;  9th,  Memories  of  the  History  of 
China;  10th,  Annals  of  Chu  Confucius,  two  vol- 
umes; nth,  Ceremonies,  four  volumes;  12th,  Com- 
mentaries on  the  annals  of  Chu,  fourteen  volumes; 
13th,  Later  history  of  China,  22  volumes;  14th  and 
15th,  History  of  the  Mongol  dynasty,  101  volumes; 
1 6th,  Chronology  of  China,  thirty  volumes;  17th, 
Commentaries  on  the  chronology,  100  volumes. 
This  report  finishes  with  an  etc.,  which  produces,  as 
Metchnikoff  says,  a cold  shiver  in  the  reader.  If 
we  add  two  foreign  languages — English  is  oblig- 
atory— besides  history,  geography,  and  other  Eu- 
ropean sciences,  you  can  only  marvel  at  the  capacity 
of  the  Japanese  brain  which  holds  all  this.  Begin- 
ning his  education  at  the  age  of  six,  the  Japanese 
only  finishes  at  the  age  of  twenty-five. 

The  Japanese  student  in  the  University  works  a 
great  deal,  but  how  do  they  work?  They  listen  to 
lectures  by  foreign  professors  and  write  them  down, 
not  understanding  very  much.  Dumolard  says  that 
out  of  one  hundred  students  only  three  could  speak 
French,  yet  the  lectures  were  in  French.  The  stu- 
dents wrote  them  down;  that  is,  they  wrote  sounds 


300  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

unfamiliar  to  them  and  recited  them  by  heart  at  the 
examinations.  (Dumolard,  “Le  Japon  politique, 
economique  et  social.”)  The  English  and  German 
professors  had  the  same  experience.  The  Japanese 
memory  is  phenomenal.  The  Japanese  student 
thinks  that  it  is  beneath  him  to  study  a foreign  lan- 
guage by  beginning  at  the  beginning,  and  in  the 
primary  French  class,  instead  of  the  grammar,  he 
begins  by  translating  the  Political  Economy  of  Le- 
roy Beaulieu. 

Their  vanity  will  not  allow  them  to  admit  that 
they  do  not  understand  a thing.  Dumolard  invited 
his  pupils  to  come  to  his  house  in  order  that  they 
might  ask  him  for  an  explanation  of  anything  which 
was  not  clear  to  them  in  his  lecture.  Never  once  did 
they  question  him  on  the  subject  of  his  lecture  about 
the  intricacies  of  the  hypothecary  system,  but  they 
would  ask  his  ideas  on  the  divinity  of  Christ  or 
about  submarines.  And  sometimes  they  would  an- 
nounce that  they  did  not  wish  any  more  American 
history,  but  would  rather  study  about  airships. 
Again,  if  they  dislike  a professor  they  simply  strike, 
and  won’t  go  to  his  lectures.  The  University  is 
getting  more  and  more  to  be  a hotbed  of  Chauvin- 
ism. The  modern  Japanese  youth  has  adopted  the 
violent  and  quarrelsome  spirit  of  the  samurai,  and 
the  old  Japanese  politeness  taught  by  Confucius  is 
unknown  to  them.  With  their  caps  on  the  sides  of 
their  heads  they  walk  along  the  streets,  and  think 
nothing  of  pushing  a foreign  lady  from  the  side- 
walk. Even  Marquis  Ito  called  attention  to  the  im- 
politeness and  turbulence  which  they  showed  toward 
foreigners.  And  no  wonder.  This  feeling  of  ani- 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  301 

mosity  against  foreigners  is  fostered  in  the  school. 
At  seven  years  the  Japanese  are  taught  that  their 
country  is  the  first  in  the  world,  and  Kwantung  is 
pointed  out  on  the  map  as  the  possession  of  Japan. 
The  feeling  is  inculcated  that  no  nation  can  equal 
the  Japanese  in  valor,  power,  and  virtue.  Even 
such  enlightened  statesmen  as  the  Marquis  Saionji 
thought  it  necessary  to  warn  the  educators  against 
giving  way  to  the  old  spirit  of  yamato  damashi  (the 
old  Japanese  spirit)  ; and,  thinking  that  the  nation 
had  arrived  at  a high  state  of  perfection,  this  advice 
was  not  accepted.  Not  only  the  public,  but  the 
nearest  assistants  of  the  Marquis  were  up  in  arms 
against  him. 

The  Japanese  pride  themselves  upon  their  school 
system  being  American ; but  there  is  very  little  Amer- 
ican about  it,  except  that  in  the  University  there 
is  an  engineering  and  an  agronomic  department,  and 
that  the  pupils  in  the  primary  schools,  instead  of  sit- 
ting on  the  floor,  use  benches  and  American  school 
desks. 

With  the  adoption  of  European  civilization  began 
the  development  of  the  press.  Forty  years  ago  the 
Japanese  did  not  know  what  a newspaper  was.  In 
April,  1863,  Joseph  Hiko  and  some  others  under- 
took to  issue  a newspaper  devoted  to  international 
news.  The  whole  country  was  in  a turmoil.  The 
first  paper,  costing  six  sen,  was  read  in  secret,  and 
even  distributed  free  of  charge.  Some  people,  in 
fear  of  the  consequences,  entirely  refused  to  read  it. 
There  was  no  question  of  advertisements,  and  nat- 
urally the  editor  lost  on  the  venture  five  hundred 
gold  pieces.  The  seeds,  however,  had  taken  root. 


302  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

In  1865  a magazine  was  published,  Bankoku  Shim- 
bun  (International  News),  of  twenty  pages,  appear- 
ing two  or  three  times  a month.  In  1867  Bankoku 
Scyyozaki  was  issued,  and  afterward  changed  its 
name,  and  could  boast  of  having  a thousand  five 
hundred  subscribers. 

During  the  Restoration  the  evolution  of  the  press 
went  quicker.  The  Nichi  Nichi  Shimbun  (daily 
paper)  appeared,  and  in  Yokohama  the  Mainichi 
Shimbun  (a  daily).  In  1872  a government  circular 
was  issued,  stating  that  in  view  of  the  services  of 
these  papers  they  would  be  sent  throughout  the 
country.  This  raised  the  prestige  of  the  press,  and 
soon  a column  in  the  Nichi  Nichi  was  devoted  to  the 
government.  The  circulation  of  the  Nichi  Nichi 
increased  when  they  had  a space  “for  the  knowledge 
of  the  Cabinet.” 

Now  the  paper  is  published  at  night  and  delivered 
early  in  the  morning.  In  the  good  old  time  there 
was  no  such  hurry.  The  paper  was  printed  during 
the  daytime  and  delivered  in  the  evening.  Now  the 
newsboys  run  in  the  streets  with  a bell,  and  cry  out 
the  name  of  the  paper  and  deliver  it  at  the  houses  in 
a bustling  manner,  throwing  it  in  at  the  door  and 
running  to  the  next  place.  Formerly  he  entered 
the  kitchen,  had  a chat  with  the  servant,  and  took  a 
cup  of  Japanese  tea. 

The  papers  of  that  time  looked  upon  advertise- 
ments as  a burden,  and  demanded  to  be  notified  a 
week  ahead.  It  happened  once  that  the  newspaper 
was  in  such  demand,  and  as  the  newsboys  were  not 
sufficient  for  its  delivery,  all  the  staff  went  out  on 
the  route,  and  even  the  cashier,  who  was  a samurai, 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  303 

walked  about  with  his  two  swords  in  his  belt,  deliv- 
ering the  paper. 

Sometimes  an  editor,  not  being  able  to  write  his 
editorial,  inserted  the  following  announcement : 
“Yesterday  the  wind  carried  away  our  manuscript. 
He  who  finds  it  will  please  return  it  to  the  news- 
paper office.”  But  all  this  is  in  the  realm  of  the 
past.  Now  the  Mainichi  and  Nielli  have  a circula- 
tion of  from  120,000  to  130,000  copies;  Osaka 
Asahi,  100,000;  Tokyo  Asahi,  60,000,  etc.  In  1899, 
401  new  papers  appeared,  of  which  265  went  under. 

The  development  of  the  press  was  stimulated  by 
the  political  events,  the  Satsuma  uprising,  the  pro- 
mulgation of  the  Constitution,  the  war  with  China, 
etc. 

The  Japanese  paper,  as  we  know,  does  not  re- 
semble ours,  beginning  as  it  does  with  the  last  page. 
It  is  surprisingly  cheap  (only  ten  to  twenty  cents  a 
month,  or  one  cent  a copy),  when  we  realize  the 
difficulty  of  printing  it.  Besides  the  katakana,  the 
newspapers  are  obliged  to  use  Chinese  characters, 
of  which  there  are  twenty  thousand. 

The  paper  uses  daily  about  four  thousand  signs, 
so  that  the  compositor  must  be  an  unusually  well 
educated  man.  The  compositor,  having  a box  con- 
taining the  katakana  type  before  him,  examines  the 
manuscript  with  a magnifying  glass,  then  cuts  it 
into  strips  and  delivers  it  to  boys,  who  begin  run- 
ning about  to  find  the  corresponding  Chinese  char- 
acters, which  are  kept  in  pigeon-holes  covering  all 
the  walls  of  the  room.  The  boys,  pushing  each 
other,  sing-song  the  name  of  the  character,  as  it  is 
only  familiar  to  them  by  the  sound.  Having  found 


304  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

the  necessary  types,  they  bring  them  and  place  them 
before  the  compositor,  who  examines  them  with  his 
magnifying  glass  and  arranges  them  in  their  proper 
places,  adding  the  kana.  The  proofs  are  read  twice, 
also  aloud  in  the  sing-song  tone. 

The  staff  of  the  paper  consists  of  a chief  editor, 
several  assistants,  reporters,  etc.  Sometimes  the 
editor  gives  the  entire  printing  over  to  a printing- 
office. 

Contrary  to  the  chief  editor  in  Europe,  who  has 
only  to  direct,  the  Japanese  editor  has  very  much 
actual  work  to  do,  and  only  receives  from  fifty  to 
two  hundred  yen  a month.  The  assistant  editors 
receive  only  from  thirty  to  fifty  yen  a month.  The 
small  papers  have  on  their  staff  a novelist  and  an 
artist.  The  financial  business  is  in  the  hands  of  a 
special  manager.  The  reporters,  who  are  of  the 
greatest  importance  on  the  paper,  receive  from  five 
to  ten  yen  a month.  The  contributors  receive  from 
one  to  three  cents  a line,  and  the  Japanese  line  is  six 
times  as  large  as  ours. 

The  paper  is  arranged  in  the  following  form : 
Seven  pages  of  advertisements,  three  editorials,  two 
pages  for  telegrams  and  correspondence;  feuilleton, 
one  page,  and  the  finance  department,  one  page. 

With  the  Constitution  came  freedom  of  the  press, 
and  with  this  came  license.  The  papers  mix  in  pri- 
vate affairs  in  a manner  which  even  the  papers  of 
Europe  do  not  permit.  Under  the  private  column 
there  will  be  such  headings  as:  “Prominent  men 
having  mistresses,”  “Prominent  men  having  illegit- 
imate children,”  “Ladies  of  the  world  supporting 
actors,”  and  the  names  are  given,  the  worst  being 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  305 

that  many  of  these  papers  are  bribed  by  financial 
concerns. 

Speaking  of  the  tendencies  of  different  papers,  we 
can  say  that  the  Nichi  Nichi  represents  conservatism 
and  the  official  world;  the  Jiji,  commercial  and  trade 
interests;  Kokumin,  progressive  and  liberal  views; 
Nippon  is  distinguished  by  its  violent  speech,  and 
the  Yomiuri  by  its  interesting  reading. 

Of  the  magazines,  the  best  known  are  the  Koku- 
min-no-tomo  (Friend  of  the  Nation),  which  con- 
tains the  best  literary  forces  of  Japan;  Tayo  (The 
Sun),  very  popular,  and  printing  articles  on  every 
possible  subject;  Woseda  Bungaku  (a  literary  mag- 
azine), and  the  Imperial  literary  magazine,  Tcikoku 
Bungaku.  The  Nippon  jin  preaches  “Japan  for  the 
Japanese’’;  Tayo  keisai  sashi  is  dedicated  to  finan- 
cial questions;  Kioi  kujiron  to  popular  education; 
Kokka  to  art;  Rikuchi  to  religious  questions;  Tayo 
gakku  gci  zashi  to  scientific  questions.  We  must 
not  omit  the  papers  published  in  foreign  languages — 
The  Far  East,  The  Revue  Frangaise;  and  the  news- 
papers— The  Japan  Daily  Mail,  and  Japanese  Times, 
which  are  up  to  the  European  standard  and  have  a 
wide  circulation. 

Japanese  literature,  under  the  influence  of  China, 
during  a period  of  thousands  of  years,  produced 
nothing  of  importance.  Ghenji  Monogotari,  which 
has  descended  to  our  time,  can  be  called  the  only 
production  worthy  of  the  name  of  literature,  and  in 
substance,  what  is  its  value?  It  is  a tiresome,  dry 
account  of  internal  wars,  stretching  over  a hundred 
years,  and  the  enmity  of  the  ruling  houses  of  Taira 
and  Minamoto. 


306  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

Only  the  courtiers  of  the  Mikado  had  leisure  to 
cultivate  literature  and  witticisms  or  compose  epi- 
grams, poetry,  and  sonnets.  As  an  example  we  can 
quote  Bousquet,  who  gives  us  in  the  following  lines 
a fair  idea  of  this  sort  of  literature,  “I  went  in  the 
field,  I tied  my  horse  to  a tree  and  contemplated 
nature.”  What  follows?  will  ask  the  reader.  Noth- 
ing; that  is  all  there  is  to  it.  Or  another  phrase, 
“In  truth,  if  animals  took  the  place  of  men  it  would 
not  change  the  aspect  of  the  world.” 

The  cultivated  classes  spent  their  time  in  studying 
the  Chinese  classics,  copying  them  and  commenting 
upon  them,  and  produced  nothing  original  or  inde- 
pendent. 

The  creations  of  popular  literature,  which  was 
not  permeated  by  Chinese  influence,  showed  more 
originality.  The  popular  creative  power  expressed 
itself  in  dramatic  poetry,  of  which  I will  speak  later, 
and  in  novels  and  tales,  printed  in  hiragana  and  read 
principally  by  women.  These  popular  tales  have 
frequently  been  translated  into  European  languages 
and  many  of  them  are  remarkable  for  their  simplicity 
and  poetical  charm.  (Midford,  “Tales  of  Old 
Japan.”)  We  will  cite  the  story  of  Urashima. 
Urashima-Taro  saved  the  life  of  a tortoise  and  threw 
it  back  into  the  sea,  where  it  disappeared.  Many 
years  later  Urashima-Taro  was  shipwrecked  and 
was  saved  by  the  tortoise,  which,  recognizing  him. 
put  him  on  her  back  and  carried  him  to  the  beautiful 
Queen  Riugo-zo,  living  on  the  island  of  Otahima 
Sama.  The  beautiful  queen  fell  in  love  with 
Urashima  and  they  lived  happily  together,  but 
Urashima  grew  restless  and  wished  to  return  to  his 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  307 

home,  if  only  for  a short  time.  The  queen  finally 
complied  with  his  wish,  and  sending  him  to  the 
mainland  gave  him  a box,  which  he  was  cautioned 
not  to  open.  Urashima,  returning  to  his  home, 
found  himself  amidst  unknown  people.  Not  having 
strength  to  overcome  his  curiosity  he  opened  the 
box;  sounds  of  thunder  were  heard,  he  was  dazed, 
and  suddenly  from  a young  man  he  was  transformed 
into  an  old  man,  who  realized  that  he  had  been 
away  from  his  home  for  three  hundred  years  and 
was  now  forever  cut  oft"  from  returning  to  his  queen. 

The  Japanese  love  to  listen  to  stories  of  the  past, 
and  the  public  of  the  large  cities  visit  with  delight 
the  tale-tellers,  who  sometimes  narrate  funny  anec- 
dotes or  read  legends  from  the  time  of  Hideyoshi 
and  the  internal  wars.  These  story-tellers  are 
visited  principally  by  the  poor  who  cannot  afford  to 
go  to  the  theatres.  But  the  public  is  so  numerous 
that  a platform  is  erected  and  a great  hall  prepared, 
almost  like  a theatre.  The  government  tried  to  put 
a stop  to  these  story-tellers,  whose  influence  on  the 
people  was  very  great;  but  they  simply  went  out 
into  the  streets,  where  they  were  followed  by  great 
crowds. 

Besides  the  entrance  fees  received  by  these  story- 
tellers, they  are  well  paid  by  people  who  invite  them 
to  their  houses  to  amuse  guests.  I have  already 
said  that  novels,  printed  in  hiragana,  are  read  prin- 
cipally by  women.  According  to  Bousquet  every 
young  girl  having  leisure  has  a subscription  at  the 
library,  where  for  twenty-five  cents  she  can  have 
every  possible  old  or  new  book. 


308  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

As  an  example  of  the  novels  let  us  borrow  from 
Bousquet  the  story  of  Kosan  Kinguro. 

The  samurai  Bunnoji  had  a son,  Kinguro,  by  an 
illegitimate  union,  which  was  disapproved  by  his 
father.  As  the  mother  of  Kinguro  died  at  his  birth 
his  father  gave  him  to  a nurse  and  adopted  also  a 
small  girl,  called  O Kami.  O Kami  and  Kinguro 
grew  up  together,  loved  each  other,  and  their  father 
did  not  object  to  their  future  marriage. 

Meanwhile,  the  father  of  Bunnoji,  feeling  that  his 
end  was  near,  desired  to  make  peace  with  his  son  and 
see  his  grandson.  “Send  my  grandson  to  me,” 
wrote  the  old  man,  “and  by-gones  will  be  by-gones.” 
Bunnoji,  foreseeing  a great  future  for  his  son,  dis- 
patched him  to  the  old  man.  The  young  people 
separated  with  tears  and  promises  of  faithfulness  to 
each  other.  No  sooner  had  Kinguro  departed  than 
Bunnoji  tried  to  persuade  O Kami  to  marry  another 
man ; but  in  despair  she  wishes  to  commit  suicide 
and  flies  to  the  river,  where  she  is  taken  by  robbers 
and  sold  into  the  courtesan  quarter  of  Kamakura. 
Bunnoji,  counting  her  dead,  informs  his  son,  who 
in  despair  returns  from  Kyoto  to  Kamakura.  There 
his  friends,  wishing  to  take  his  mind  off  his  sorrow, 
take  him  to  the  courtesan  quarter,  where  he  meets 
by  chance  a sister  of  O Kami,  who  had  never  known 
her  and  who  after  various  struggles  had  become  a 
geisha.  Kinguro  speaks  to  her  of  his  sorrow,  and 
she,  wishing  to  amuse  him,  sends  him  a beautiful 
geisha,  already  famous,  called  Kosan.  Kinguro 
recognizes  in  her  his  beloved  O Kami,  and  in  a 
rage  showers  reproaches  upon  her.  She  tries  to 
exonerate  herself,  but  finally  in  despair  tries  to 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  309 

commit  suicide,  when  Kinguro  stays  her  hand,  begs 
her  pardon,  and  peace  is  made  between  the  lovers. 
Bought  back  out  of  the  gay  quarter,  O Kami  lives 
in  a small  house  and  becomes  a mother. 

Bunnoji,  hearing  that  his  son  lives  with  some 
geisha,  demands  that  he  break  this  tie  and  marry  a 
woman  whom  he  does  not  love.  Kinguro  partly 
complies  with  the  wish  of  his  father,  at  the  same 
time  keeping  his  mistress.  Bunnoji,  finding  this 
out,  goes  to  Kosan  (O  Kami)  and  persuades  her 
to  give  up  her  lover.  The  poor  girl  sends  her  child 
to  her  sister  and  commits  suicide,  cutting  her  throat 
with  a razor.  Bunnoji  takes  his  grandchild  and 
they  all  live  under  the  paternal  roof. 

This  is  a novel  which  embraces  three  generations, 
and  sometimes,  according  to  Japanese  custom,  they 
do  not  finish  there.  How  did  European  civilization 
react  on  Japanese  literature?  Chamberlain’s  opinion 
is  that  it  gave  it  a death  blow.  Thousands  of  books 
are  printed  every  year,  but  all  are  translations,  and 
the  editors  hasten  to  acquaint  the  public  with  the 
best  productions  of  European  literature.  “Has 
Japan  produced  anything  worthy  of  mention  during 
this  time,  or  anything  which  can  compare  with  the 
chefs-d'oeuvre  of  European  literature?”  asks  Pro- 
fessor Tsibuchi.  (“The  Future  of  Our  National 
Literature,”  Far  East,  October-November,  1896.) 
And  after  examining  the  matter,  concludes  that  it 
has  not.  We  should  say,  that  having  given  all  her 
energy  to  political  evolution,  Japan  had  no  leisure 
for  literary  work  and  may  in  the  future  say  her 
word. 


Chapter  XXVII 


Japanese  theatre — Origin  of  the  theatre — Comedy — Drama — 
Character  of  Japanese  dramatic  art — Celebrated  actors — 
“No”  in  the  Mikado’s  palace. 

The  Japanese  dearly  love  a show  and  the  theatre 
plays  a great  role  in  their  lives.  Generally  speaking, 
the  Japanese  theatre  as  we  see  it  now  is  of  recent 
origin.  In  the  thirteenth  century  there  existed 
“No,”  or  pantomime  performances  in  masks,  among 
the  aristocracy,  accompanied  by  music  and  choruses, 
and  this  can  be  said  to  have  been  the  beginning  of 
the  theatre  in  Japan.  In  1603  a troop  of  dancing 
girls  performed  a ballet  in  the  open  air,  though  the 
place  was  enclosed  by  a bamboo  fence  and  the  stage 
by  screens.  This  representation  was  called  “O  Kuni 
Kabuki,”  or  dances  of  O Kuni  (the  name  of  the 
principal  dancer).  The  ballet  so  delighted  the  public 
that  it  was  no  time  before  they  were  given  in  Tokyo 
and  in  other  cities.  At  the  zenith  of  their  success 
the  government  found  that  such  representations  had 
a demoralizing  effect  on  the  public,  and  prohibited 
women  from  appearing  on  the  stage,  afterwards 
forbidding  altogether  these  performances. 

In  consequence  of  the  protests  of  those  who  had 
lost  money  by  this  prohibition,  the  government  was 
finally  persuaded  to  make  a concession,  and  the 
performances  were  allowed  to  continue,  with  the 
proviso  that  only  men  should  appear  in  the  roles. 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


311 


This  gave  a new  impetus  to  the  theatrical  art. 
While  women  were  on  the  stage  it  had  consisted 
merely  of  pantomime ; but  now,  in  the  hands  of  men, 
the  art  began  to  develop  and  many  plays  on  different 
subjects  were  introduced.  The  monotonous  dancing 
and  songs  were  replaced  by  comedy  scenes,  and 
historical  and  genre  drama  dawned.  The  first 
historical  drama  was  declaimed  with  musical  accom- 
paniment. We  are  already  familiar  with  the  story 
of  Monogatari,  and  in  course  of  time  many  such 
Monogatari  appeared  (Takatari,  Ise,  Equa,  Genji 
Yamato,  Monogatari),  and  the  author  of  the  best 
known,  “Ileike  Monogatari,”  is  called  Zensi  Yukin- 
aga.  Later  a blind  man  by  the  name  of  Jobutsu 
began  declaiming  these  productions,  with  the  accom- 
paniment of  musical  instruments,  and  still  later  this 
declaiming  with  the  accompaniment  of  the  samisen 
was  added  to  the  marionette  theatres,  and  by  the 
initiative  of  Jidai  historical  plays  were  presented. 
Since  then  historical  plays  are  always  called  Jidai- 
mono  (thing  of  Jidai),  in  contradistinction  to  the 
Setsa-mono,  or  comedy  of  manners. 

About  that  time  appeared  Chicamatsu  Manzae- 
mon  (1693-1734),  called  the  Japanese  Shakespeare. 
He  dramatized  the  history  of  forty-seven  ronins,  but 
his  chef-d’oeuvre  is  the  story  of  the  adventures  of 
the  pirate  Kokuzen,  who  chased  the  Dutch  out  of 
Formosa  during  the  reign  of  Charles  II.  His 
followers,  Takeda  and  Idzuma,  sought  to  develop 
dramatic  art,  and  instead  of  the  former  declaimers, 
real  actors  appeared  in  Tokyo,  Osaka  and  Kyoto, 
those  of  every  town  having  their  specialties.  In 
Tokyo  the  drama  distinguished  itself  by  gaiety,  acts 


312  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

of  daring,  and  courage;  in  Osaka  and  Kyoto  grim 
and  sad  tragedy  reigned.  Here  I must  mention, 
that  there  was  a time  when  it  was  not  proper  for  the 
samurai  to  attend  the  theatre.  That  is  to  say,  the 
trouble  began  by  the  theatrical  directors  complaining 
of  the  turbulence  of  the  armed  men  of  two  swords, 
and  the  government  of  the  Shogun,  to  put  an  end 
to  it,  forbade  the  samurai  to  enter  a theatre.  The 
samurai  in  any  case  had  to  leave  their  swords  with 
the  doorkeeper,  as  a samurai  seen  armed  in  a theatre 
would  be  considered  dishonored  for  life.  This  order 
perhaps  tended  to  keep  the  peace  in  the  theatres; 
but  as  the  samurai  were  the  most  educated  class  in 
Japan,  their  absence  led  to  the  lowering  of  the 
standard  of  dramatic  art.  At  that  time  the  actors 
were  pariahs,  had  to  wear  in  the  street  a straw  hat 
of  a certain  form,  lived  in  the  gay  quarter,  and  were 
spoken  of  as  of  cattle,  for  instance  so  many  “head.” 
But  in  spite  of  their  low  position  the  lower  classes 
were  enthusiastic  about  some  of  the  actors. 

With  the  Restoration  ( 1868)  it  was  not  considered 
a disgrace  for  a nice  person  to  be  seen  in  the  theatre, 
and  actors  like  Danjuro  are  received  in  the  most 
aristocratic  houses. 

After  these  preliminary  remarks  let  us  go  to  a 
theatre.  Formerly  they  were  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
courtesan  quarter,  the  rendezvous  of  all  vagrants  and 
even  criminals;  but  this  is  all  changed,  and  some  of 
the  Japanese  theatres  from  the  outside  look  like 
European  theatres.  Yet  many,  on  the  other  hand, 
still  have  the  look  of  booths  at  a fair.  At  the  top 
of  every  theatre  is  a sort  of  watch  tower  or  wooden 
box  to  watch  for  fire,  and  there  are  two  box-offices, 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  313 

where  the  cashiers  squat  on  their  heels  and  arrange 
in  piles  the  copper  and  small  silver  coin.  The  build- 
ing is  decorated  with  flags,  enormous  advertisements 
and  pictures  representing  the  principal  episodes  of 
the  play.  The  crowd  begins  to  gather  at  daybreak, 
for  the  Japanese  drama  sometimes  lasts  from  early 
morning  until  late  at  night,  and  sometimes  for  two 
or  three  days.  The  swarming  crowd  consists  of  all 
classes  of  society — peasants  with  their  handkerchiefs 
tied  around  their  heads,  petty  government  officials, 
coolies,  and,  what  increases  the  receipts,  many 
women  and  children.  The  women,  of  course,  are 
in  all  their  war  paint,  in  holiday  costumes,  wonderful 
coiffures,  and  take  with  them  provisions  for  all  day, 
which  are  eaten  during  the  entr’actes  by  the  children. 

At  the  entrance  one  formality  is  necessary,  you 
must  leave  your  wooden  shoes  outside.  The  tickets 
(gallery  seats  from  2 to  3 cents;  gallery  boxes  for 
five  persons,  5 yen,  and  the  squares  in  the  pit,  3 yen 
70)  are  collected  at  the  entrance.  Two  doors  lead 
into  the  pit,  while  a staircase — ladder  rather — on 
either  side  leads  up  to  the  boxes.  The  building  is 
only  two  stories  high.  The  pit  is  divided  into 
squares  of  equal  size,  like  a draft  board.  There  are 
partitions  surrounding  each  quadrangle  and  the 
spectators  have  to  step  over  these  to  gain  their  places. 
Every  square  has  its  inevitable  hibachi.  When  a 
family  is  installed  in  its  box,  which  holds  four 
people,  sometimes  six  or  seven,  it  is  very  difficult  to 
get  out ; but  as  the  play  lasts  ten  hours  or  more,  they 
eat,  smoke,  women  nurse  their  children,  in  fact  they 
are  quite  at  home,  squatting  upon  their  heels,  which 
position  being  the  least  tiring  can  be  retained  by 


314  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

them  a whole  day.  If  you  wish  to  be  comine  il  faut 
in  the  Japanese  sense,  you  must  not  take  your  tickets 
at  the  box-offices,  but  at  a neighboring  tea-house, 
where  you  arrive  the  morning  of  the  play,  and  one 
of  the  servants  conducts  you  to  your  place,  brings 
you  the  program,  a pillow,  a tabakobon,  a tin  of  tea, 
with  teapot  and  cups,  and  whatever  you  wish  to  eat 
during  the  day. 

Two  boarded  passageways  raised  above  the  pit, 
above  the  heads  of  the  audience,  run  from  one  end 
of  the  auditorium  up  to  the  stage.  By  these  the 
public  of  the  pit  enters;  and  most  of  the  actors 
during  the  representation  make  their  exits  and 
entrances  over  this  sort  of  bridge,  when  illusion 
demands  their  arrival  from  a distance,  or  when 
leaving  the  scene  they  are  supposed  to  walk  through 
the  streets  or  across  country.  This  adds  to  the 
realism  of  the  performance.  Often  the  dialogue 
begins  in  the  rear  of  the  public,  as  soon  as  the  artist 
enters  the  auditorium,  and  long  before  he  reaches 
the  level  of  the  stage.  The  drama  gains  much  life 
in  this  way,  and  we  see  what  proportions  the  scenery 
assumes  when  it  thus  invades  the  auditorium  above 
the  heads  of  the  spectators.  Sometimes  on  these 
flower  roads — hana  michi,  as  they  are  called — a 
struggle  takes  place,  the  murderer  is  creeping  slowly, 
or  conspirators  prepare  their  strokes  and  plans  before 
arriving  on  the  spot  where  they  are  to  be  carried  out, 
and  not  interfering  with  the  principal  action  of  the 
play  which  unfolds  itself  on  the  stage  proper.  This 
space,  for  accessory  scenes,  avoids  improbable  situa- 
tions, which  the  want  of  brings  about  on  our  stage. 
For  instance,  we  see  an  actor  in  Europe  who  does 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  315 

not  know  what  to  do  with  himself  while  his  assassins 
are  arranging  to  cut  his  throat. 

Now  let  us  look  at  the  stage  closely.  First  of  all 
we  observe  on  one  side  a little  cage  or  box  closed 
with  a blind.  In  that  cage  a man  is  seated  who  is 
not  seen  but  may  often  be  heard.  His  functions  are 
those  of  the  chorus  in  the  Greek  tragedy,  but  is  of 
more  importance,  as  he  represents  the  good  sense 
and  morals  of  the  people,  and  chiefly  explains  the 
unfolding  of  the  drama.  But  this  chorus  is  a 
remnant  of  the  time  when  a man  in  a high-pitched 
voice  explained  to  the  audience  the  workings  of  the 
marionettes.  The  musicians  are  on  one  side  of  the 
stage,  and  at  the  most  pathetic  moments,  with  rattles, 
they  will  make  all  sorts  of  unearthly  noises,  and  we 
need  not  add  that  such  music  can  be  understood  only 
by  the  Japanese.  Besides  the  actors  you  will  see  on 
the  stage  strange  black-robed  figures,  with  black 
caps,  who  represent  shadows,  for  no  respectable  man 
can  get  rid  of  his  shadow.  They  sometimes  are 
made  serviceable  acting  as  “souffleur,”  or  holding  a 
light  on  a long  stick  to  make  the  actor  more  visible. 
The  mounting  of  the  piece  is  always  very  exact. 
The  scenery  with  its  decoration  goes  around  on  a 
turn-table  (mawari  butai).  This  plan  has  the 
advantage  of  making  the  place  seem  more  natural. 
In  the  drama  of  the  forty-seven  ronins  they  are 
represented  as  breaking  into  the  house  of  their 
enemy.  Finding  the  gates  closed  they  begin  with 
axes  to  make  a breach  in  the  wall,  and  with  the  aid 
of  ropes  and  ladders  succeed  in  scaling  it.  Then  by 
the  aid  of  this  turntable  we  see  the  inner  court  and 
its  frightened  inhabitants  struggling  with  the  ronins. 


316  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

Some  of  these  mawari  butai  have  four  or  six 
divisions,  so  that  changes  of  scene  follow  each  other 
without  interrupting  the  action.  The  curtain  is 
drawn  to  one  side  and  ornamented  with  some  boldly 
drawn  design  with  a gigantic  inscription. 

The  drama  in  Japan,  like  the  old  Greek  drama, 
had  a religious  origin.  It  is  said  that  in  the  reign 
of  the  Emperor  Heijo  in  the  province  of  Yamato, 
when  the  earth  sank  and  from  the  precipices  arose 
obnoxious  gases,  the  priests,  to  pacify  the  gods, 
performed  a sacred  dance  and  the  exhalations  dis- 
appeared. In  memory  of  this  event  every  theatrical 
representation  begins  with  this  dance,  performed  by 
an  actor  in  a priest’s  garb,  carrying  a fan,  and  to  the 
accompaniment  of  melancholy  music. 

We  will  now  speak  of  Japanese  acting.  As  life 
is  not  made  up  entirely  of  conversation,  whole  hours 
pass  in  silence,  and  the  Japanese  tries  to  represent 
such  scenes  and  the  chorus  explains  these  actions 
without  words.  If,  for  instance,  some  murderer  is 
creeping  stealthily  toward  a house  the  scene  passes 
in  complete  silence;  not  like  with  the  Italian  opera 
singers,  who  make  such  a noise  nearing  the  victim, 
that  it  would  arouse  the  dead. 

The  same  realism  in  detail  is  carried  out  in  regard 
to  costumes,  and  also  the  inner  life  of  the  actor,  who 
tries  in  this  way  to  enter  into  the  spirit  of  the  role 
he  plays.  For  instance,  the  actor  Otowaya,  wishing 
to  represent  a bankrupt  merchant  who  went  insane 
from  his  troubles,  adopted  the  identical  life  of  the 
character,  eating  very  little,  being  careless  in  dress, 
not  bathing,  and  being  of  bad  humor,  so  that  his 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


317 


family  was  frightened,  thinking  that  he  really  had 
lost  his  mind. 

The  same  Otowaya  was  a very  severe  teacher.  It 
is  told  of  him  that  one  young  actor,  learning  to  run 
on  to  the  stage,  could  never  satisfy  his  master  and 
decided  to  abandon  the  theatre.  When  he  ran  on 
for  the  last  time  he  stopped,  breathless  with  emotion, 
wishing  to  tell  his  master  all  that  had  been  ferment- 
ing in  his  mind,  and  as  he  stood  there  breathing 
heavily  the  master  went  up  to  him  and  said,  “That 
is  perfect;  if  you  do  that  way  you  will  have  great 
success.”  Sometimes  the  actors  were  victims  of 
their  masterful  interpretations,  as  was  the  case  with 
Ichikawa  Ichiso,  who,  playing  the  role  of  a pirate, 
was  pursuing  his  father,  when  a samurai  in  the 
audience  jumped  up  and  gave  him  a deadly  blow 
with  his  sword. 

It  is  astonishing  that  with  such  realism  the  men 
should  always  take  the  roles  of  the  women,  yet  the 
well-known  Danjuro,  at  the  age  of  seventy,  plays  the 
role  of  a girl  of  sixteen.  There  exist  now  in  Japan 
troupes  of  women,  but  in  these  cases  the  roles  are 
all  taken  by  women.  They  say  that  Danjuro  is 
preparing  his  daughters  for  the  stage,  to  play  with 
him,  which  will  be  an  innovation  in  the  Japanese 
theatre.  The  actors  who  take  the  parts  of  women 
try  in  every  way  to  lead  women’s  lives — dress  like 
them,  wear  women’s  coiffures,  do  their  work,  and 
surround  themselves  with  all  the  refinements  of 
woman’s  life. 

Another  thing  incompatible  with  the  realism  of 
the  Japanese  stage  is  their  art  of  declamation.  They 
never  speak,  but  make  unearthly  howls,  grimaces, 


318  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

distortions,  unnatural  wails,  and  the  more  they  rant 
and  shriek  the  more  the  public  is  pleased.  I remem- 
ber Sado  Yako — who  by  the  way  is  called  the 
Japanese  Duse,  though  she  never  played  in  Japan, 
but  assumed  her  roles  in  San  Francisco  on  account 
of  the  death  of  an  actor — when  she  played  in  Wash- 
ington, at  the  Japanese  Legation,  andi  appeared  with 
her  hair  streaming  down  her  back,  her  tragic  look 
and  her  face  distorted  with  passion,  grimacing 
according  to  Japanese  demands,  the  majority  of  the 
European  and  American  public  laughed  heartily. 
But  everything  is  relative.  I know  another  case 
where  a Japanese  impressario,  profiting  by  the 
arrival  in  Tokyo  of  an  Italian  troupe,  conceived  the 
idea  of  representing  Japanese  tourists  in  Europe. 
In  Paris  they  are  supposed  to  be  at  the  Grand  Opera. 
When  the  prima  donna  appeared  and  began  her 
“fioritures”  the  Japanese  public  burst  into  such  un- 
controllable laughter  that  the  play  had  to  be  stopped 
at  the  most  interesting  point. 

Besides  the  wild,  guttural  sounds  which  the 
Japanese  actor  uses  to  the  delight  of  the  public, 
there  is  still  another  peculiarity  pertaining  to 
Japanese  dramatic  art — a realism  of  which  no 
European  actor  would  dream.  It  may  be  said  that 
blood  flows  in  streams,  and  literally,  as  torture, 
hara-kiri,  and  murder  are  so  vividly  presented  as 
to  make  the  onlookers’  blood  curdle.  As  cruelty 
reigned  supreme  in  those  days,  the  plays  are  filled 
with  scenes  of  violence.  I recall  one  play  in  which 
a wife  kills  her  husband  to  obtain  his  money  for 
her  lover.  She  falls  upon  him  with  a knife  and 
literally  covers  him  with  stabs,  meantime  sobbing 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  319 

and  crying  that  it  should  be  necessary  for  her  to  do 
this  to  save  her  lover.  Of  course  the  idea  is  stupid, 
but  the  acting  is  so  realistic  that  your  heart  thumps 
and  you  cannot  take  your  eyes  from  the  dying  man 
streaming  with  blood.  You  quite  forget  for  the 
moment  that  these  are  the  tricks  of  the  property 
man  and  it  seems  to  you  that  you  are  witnessing  a 
scene  in  real  life.  Concerning  the  character  of 
Japanese  tragedy  and  drama,  they  can  more  literally 
be  called  melodramas,  as  they  cannot  do  without 
their  musical  accompaniment,  the  din  of  the  rattle 
being  the  principal  sound.  In  Japanese  tragedies 
the  comic  scenes  alternate  with  the  tragic,  and  at 
the  most  pathetic  moment  a comical  incident  will 
happen  at  which  the  public  roars  with  laughter. 

The  merit  of  these  long-drawn  dramas  is  very 
doubtful,  and  even  the  Japanese  admit  that  the  fault 
of  the  Japanese  drama  consists  in  their  superfluous 
cruelty,  abundance  of  unnecessary  episodes,  and  in 
the  confusion  of  ideas  of  good  and  evil.  The 
Japanese  drama  is  in  reality  a novel  in  action,  which 
does  not  confine  itself  to  one  generation  but  can  go 
on  indefinitely.  First  appears  the  grandfather;  he 
dies,  then  follows  the  son;  then  the  grandson,  and 
all  these  lives  are  seasoned  with  numerous  comic  and 
tragic  episodes.  This  is  perhaps  life,  but  not  accord- 
ing to  the  rules  of  European  drama,  in  which  life 
is  represented  in  an  abbreviated,  conventional  form. 
In  Europe  much  is  left  to  the  imagination  of  the 
spectator.  In  the  Japanese  drama  nothing  is  left 
unsaid  and  the  action  is  drawn  out  endlessly.  It  is 
curious  that  the  Japanese  give  only  the  outlines  in 


320  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

painting,  leaving  the  rest  to  be  imagined;  while  in 
Europe  it  is  the  drama  which  is  thus  treated,  giving 
only  the  principal  situations. 

In  the  most  remarkable  dramas,  like  the  “Revenge 
of  Soga”or  the  “History  of  the  Forty-seven  Ronins” 
(“Chiusungura”),  there  is  no  unity  of  time,  place, 
or  action.  It  is  a series  of  pictures  extending  over 
a long  period.  In  Chiusungura  the  first  hero  dies; 
after  him  follows  another,  who  ends  his  existence  by 
hara-kiri ; his  place  is  taken  by  a third,  and  so  on. 
Yet  in  spite  of  this  a Japanese  drama  is  followed 
with  interest  by  the  foreigner,  owing  perhaps  to  the 
sincerity  of  sentiment  and  truthfulness  of  details  and 
customs  displayed  in  it.  There  are  no  surprises  or 
prearranged  situations;  but  is  that  not  true  to  life? 
I have  not  yet  spoken  of  the  strange  confusion  of 
ideas  about  good  and  evil.  The  greatest  of  virtues 
are  loyalty  and  fidelity  to  the  feudal  chief  (suzerain), 
devotion  to  parents  and  justice;  but  it  is  all  exagger- 
ated to  a degree  countenancing  even  murder  in  the 
name  of  these  principles.  Loyalty  to  the  master 
extends  to  his  son  in  case  of  the  former’s  death. 
For  instance,  an  armbearer  at  the  risk  of  his  life 
saves  the  son  of  his  master,  and  after  many  wander- 
ings reaches  a place  where  he  finds  his  wife  and  son. 
He  had  thought  them  killed  during  the  destruction 
of  the  castle,  and  their  joy  at  this  reunion  is  past 
description.  He  tells  his  wife  how  he  saved  the  life 
of  his  prince,  and  carefully  takes  the  child  out  of  a 
basket  such  as  peddlers  in  Japan  carry.  At  sight  of 
the  child  the  wife  is  delighted,  and  begins  to  caress 
and  fondle  him,  much  to  the  displeasure  of  her  own 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  321 

small  son,  who  struggles  to  push  away  the  little 
stranger.  The  parents  try  to  reason  with  him,  but 
the  capricious  child  seizes  his  father’s  sword  and 
aims  a blow  at  the  baby.  Fearing  his  son’s  cries  will 
arouse  people  and  cause  his  plans  to  miscarry,  the 
father  resolves  to  sacrifice  his  boy  and  slays  him. 
The  public  goes  into  ecstasies,  but  you  can  see  that 
the  sentiment  of  loyalty  is  absurdly  exaggerated,  as 
it  would  seem  probable  that  a grown  man  could 
control  the  caprices  of  his  child  without  sacrificing 
his  life. 

Another  instance  is  a piece  of  a historical  char- 
acter, “Hosokawa  no  daruma,”  where  one  of  the 
vassals  throws  himself  into  the  fire  to  save  some 
documents  belonging  to  his  master.  These  docu- 
ments, with  the  signature  of  the  Shogun,  proclaim 
the  rights  and  privileges  of  a certain  family  over 
feudal  possession,  and  they  have  to  be  presented  for 
verification  at  the  advent  of  a new  Shogun.  The 
vassal  finding  himself  surrounded  by  flames  and  the 
saving  of  the  papers  hopeless,  quickly  commits  hara- 
kiri,  and  places  the  papers  in  his  bow'els.  He  is 
found  dead  and  ordered  to  be  buried  with  great 
ceremony.  At  the  last  moment  it  is  discovered  that 
he  has  committed  hara-kiri  and  the  documents  come 
to  light. 

Still  another  case.  A woman  kills  the  man  who 
has  saved  her  life  to  procure  his  money  for  her  lover. 

In  the  historical  drama  “Sekigahara,”  not  only 
men  but  women  excel  in  acts  of  valor  and  abnega- 
tion. The  following  is  a synopsis  of  this  drama : 


322 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


ACT  I. 

Scene  I. — The  Castle  of  Iyeyasu  at  Fushimi,  near  Kyoto. 

Iyeyasu  has  received  news  that  Uyesugi,  the  Daimio  of 
Echigo,  has  rebelled  against  his  authority,  and  at  once  prepares 
to  start  for  the  north  in  order  to  crush  his  rival.  The  castle 
is  in  a state  of  bustle  and  confusion  owing  to  the  sudden 
preparations  necessary  for  the  campaign.  Iyeyasu  and  his 
generals  appear  and  hold  a council  of  war,  and  Iyeyasu  entrusts 
the  charge  of  the  castle  during  his  absence  to  Torii,  one  of  his 
generals.  While  the  council  is  still  sitting  a messenger  arrives 
from  Otani  Giobu,  a blind  general  (who  afterwards  takes  up 
arms  against  Iyeyasu),  and  Torii  is  deputed  to  meet  him  to 
discuss  the  business  on  which  he  has  come. 

Scene  2. — Another  part  of  the  castle. 

Iyeyasu’s  soldiers  are  talking  about  an  order  which  has  been 
circulated  that  they  are  to  have  a feast  that  evening,  and  they 
infer  from  this  that  the  army  will  start  the  next  day.  The 
materials  of  the  feast  arrive,  and  the  soldiers  find  that  mochi 
has  been  given  to  them  instead  of  sake.  While  they  are 
grumbling  over  this,  Torii,  who  has  finished  his  interview 
with  Otani’s  messenger,  appears  and  reproaches  them  for  being 
dissatisfied,  pointing  out  that  the  substitution  of  mochi  for  sake 
has  been  made  with  the  object  of  preparing  them  for  the  hard- 
ships of  the  campaign  on  which  they  are  about  to  enter. 

Scene  3. — Iyeyasu’s  sleeping-apartment  in  the  castle. 

Iyeyasu,  before  retiring  to  bed,  receives  Torii,  who  reports 
to  him  the  result  of  his  interview  with  Otani’s  messenger. 
Otani,  it  appears,  has  excused  himself  from  attending  Iyeyasu 
in  his  march  north  on  the  plea  of  sickness.  Iyeyasu  declares 
his  suspicion  that  a plot  has  been  formed  to  attack  the  castle 
during  his  absence.  Torii  assures  him  that  he  will  defend  the 
castle  to  the  death,  and  the  two  take  leave  of  one  another  after 
drinking  a parting  cup  of  sake.  What  Iyeyasu  had  feared 
takes  place.  Ishida  Mitsunari,  a vassal  of  Hideyori,  who  is  in 
league  with  Otani,  has  formed  a plan  for  attacking  Iyeyasu’s 
castle  at  Fushimi  as  soon  as  Iyeyasu  is  out  of  reach.  Hoso- 
kawa,  the  Daimio  of  Etchiu,  having  followed  Iyeyasu  north 
as  one  of  his  generals,  Ishida  conceives  the  design  of  enticing 
Hosokawa’s  wife  and  children  into  the  castle  of  Osaka,  where 
Hideyori  is  residing,  hoping  that  by  holding  them  there  as 
hostages  he  will  compel  Hosokawa  to  side  with  him  against 
Iyeyasu. 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


323 


ACT  II. 

Scene  I. — The  Hosokawa-Yashiki  in  Osaka. 

A messenger  from  Ishida  arrives  at  the  ashiki  and  delivers 
a summons  to  the  wife  of  Hosokawa  to  repair  at  once  to  the 
castle.  Chief  Karo,  who  receives  him,  endeavors  to  excuse 
his  mistress  from  complying  with  the  summons,  but  his  argu- 
ments have  no  effect,  and  he  is  told  that  the  order  must  be 
obeyed  before  the  evening  of  that  day. 

Scene  2. — The  interior  of  the  Yashiki. 

Hosokawa’s  wife,  after  consultation  with  her  retainers,  who 
urge  her  to  evade  the  summons  by  immediate  flight,  announces 
her  determination  to  die  with  her  two  children,  who  appear  on 
the  stage,  sooner  than  be  held  as  a hostage  for  her  husband, 
and  thus  serve  as  the  instrument  of  treachery;  she  then  calls 
upon  Chief  Karo  to  kill  her.  The  latter,  finding  it  impossible 
to  dissuade  her  from  her  purpose,  obeys  her  orders  and  then 
commits  hara-kiri,  after  firing  a shot  of  defiance  toward  the 
gate  of  the  Yashiki,  where  Ishida’s  messenger  and  his  attend- 
ants are  waiting  to  escort  Hosokawa’s  wife  and  children  to 
Hideyoshi’s  castle. 

ACT  III. 

Scene. — The  camp  of  Hosokawa  at  Oyama,  a village  near 
Utsunomiya. 

A messenger  (a  karo  in  disguise)  arrives  and  tells  Hosokawa 
of  the  death  of  his  wife  and  children.  Soon  after  another 
messenger  arrives  with  news  from  Iyeyasu  that  the  castle  of 
Fushimi  has  fallen  into  the  hands  of  Ishida,  and  that  Torii,  the 
commander  of  the  garrison,  has  been  killed. 

ACT  IV. 

Scene  1. — A mountain  pass  in  Mino,  where  Otani,  who,  though 
blind,  is  a distinguished  strategist,  has  gone  in 
order  to  arrange  a plan  of  campaign 
against  Iyeyasu. 

Otani  appears  with  a small  escort  and  receives  a message 
that  several  daimios  upon  whose  support  against  Iyeyasu, 
Ishida  had  relied,  have  in  a recent  battle  turned  against  the 
latter  and  defeated  him.  He  likewise  hears  that  Iyeyasu  has 
made  a rapid  march  back  toward  Kyoto.  Finding  himself 
surrounded  on  all  sides,  Otani  commits  suicide,  asking  one  of 
his  followers,  who  performs  the  office  of  kaishaku,  to  bury  his 
head  in  order  that  it  may  not  fall  into  the  hands  of  his  enemies. 


324 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


Scene  2. — A pass  in  the  same  province. 

A skirmish  takes  place  between  Iyeyasu’s  troops  and  the 
small  force  of  Otani,  in  which  the  latter’s  men  are  all  killed, 
with  the  exception  of  the  retainer  who  has  carried  off  his 
master’s  head. 

ACT  V. 

Scene. — The  bank  of  a stream. 

Otani’s  retainer  having  buried  his  master’s  head  in  some 
reeds  close  to  the  river,  is  surprised  and  killed  by  Todo,  one 
of  Iyeyasu’s  soldiers.  Before  dying  he  asks  Todo  to  respect 
his  master’s  wishes  and  to  take  only  his,  the  retainer’s,  head  to 
Jweyasu’s  camp. 

ACT  VI. 

Scene. — The  camp  of  Iyeyasu  at  Sekigahara,  a village  close  to 
Nagahama  on  Lake  Biwa. 

The  battle  is  over  and  Iyeyasu  and  his  generals  are  discuss- 
ing the  details  of  the  fight.  Todo  presents  himself  and  shows 
the  head  of  Otani’s  retainer,  explaining  that  Otani  had  com- 
mitted suicide  and  that  his  retainer,  having  buried  his  head, 
had  asked  him  not  to  disinter  it.  Iyeyasu,  who  up  to  that 
moment  had  not  heard  of  Otani’s  death,  is  satisfied  with  this 
explanation  and  rewards  Todo  with  the  present  of  a spear. 

ACT  VII. 

Scene  i. — Hills  near  Sekigahara. 

It  is  night,  and  Ishida  is  represented  in  the  act  of  flight  after 
the  battle.  He  is  being  guided  to  a temple,  where  he  proposes 
to  change  his  dress  and  assume  the  disguise  of  a priest. 

Scene  2. — The  temple  grounds. 

Ishida  is  received  by  an  old  priest,  who  assists  him  to  dis- 
guise himself.  He  then  resumes  his  flight. 

Scene  3. — A road  near  the  temple. 

Ishida  is  met  and  recognized  by  a hunter,  who  was  formerly 
in  his  service;  he  accepts  the  hunter’s  offer  to  conceal  him  in 
his  hut. 

Scene  4. — The  hunter’s  house. 

The  hunter’s  daughter  is  receiving  a visit  from  one  of  the 
villagers  who  is  courting  her.  The  villager  takes  his  depart- 
ure, and  almost  immediately  Ishida  and  the  hunter  arrive,  and 
are  received  by  the  latter’s  daughter,  to  whom  her  father  ex- 
plains the  position  of  their  guest.  Ishida  having  retired  to 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


325 


rest,  two  villagers  appear,  one  of  whom  is  the  girl's  lover,  and 
after  telling  the  hunter  that  a reward  has  been  offered  for  the 
capture  of  Ishida,  insist  on  searching  the  house  in  order  to 
see  if  he  is  concealed  there.  The  hunter  pacifies  them  for  the 
time  being  by  giving  his  daughter  to  the  man  who  is  courting 
her ; but  the  girl  shortly  afterwards  returns  in  great  haste  with 
the  news  that  Ishida’s  pursuers  have  obtained  from  the  villagers 
a clue  to  his  hiding-place,  and  are  coming  to  seize  him. 

ACT  VIII. 

Scene. — A mountain-pass  by  moonlight. 

Ishida  having  been  forced  to  take  flight  again,  has  retired  to 
a lonely  spot  and  is  about  to  commit  hara-kiri,  when  he  is 
surprised  by  a party  of  Iyeyasu’s  soldiers,  and  after  a desperate 
resistance  is  overpowered  and  taken  prisoner. 

Of  the  actors  who  formed  in  olden  times  a caste 
and  whose  occupation  descended  from  father  to  son, 
the  best  known  is  Ishikawa  Danjuro,  from  a family 
of  actors.  The  present  Danjuro  is  the  ninth  of  the 
name.  Among  the  actors  there  is  a certain  aristoc- 
racy, to  which  may  be  said  to  belong  Danjuro  and 
Kikugoro.  In  former  times  a star  received  one 
thousand  yen  salary;  now  shikawa  Danjuro  receives 
five  thousand  yen  for  three  or  four  weeks,  and  his 
income  is  greater  than  that  of  a Prime  Minister. 

I should  have  begun  the  chapter  on  dramatic  art 
with  the  pantomime  representations  called  “No,”  as 
they  have  existed  from  time  immemorial,  and 
having  a religious  character  the  actors  had  to  fast 
and  pray  before  the  play.  Like  the  Greek  drama, 
“No”  has  the  three  unities,  besides  the  chorus  and 
masks.  What  is  it  in  substance?  There  are  long, 
slow  recitatives  sung  by  the  chorus  and  the  principal 
actors  to  the  accompaniment  of  suave  and  mon- 
otonous music.  The  “No”  is  the  only  form  of 
theatrical  performance  given  in  the  palace,  and  on 


326  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

these  occasions  foreign  diplomats  are  invited,  and 
most  of  them  agree  that  it  is  the  most  tiresome  thing 
in  the  world.  Rich  costumes,  monotonous  dances, 
slow  movements,  music  which  sounds  like  the  tuning 
of  instruments  mean  nothing  to  the  European.  As 
for  the  language,  it  is  so  archaic  that  not  one 
Japanese  fully  understands  it,  although  it  has  for 
them  a mysterious  meaning  incomprehensible  to  the 
European.  Therefore  do  not  let  us  judge  it  from 
the  European  standpoint. 

In  the  Far  East  (February,  1898)  there  is  a 
poetical  account  of  a “No,”  called  “The  Dress  of  a 
Fairy.”  The  scene,  according  to  the  chorus,  takes 
place  on  Tsuruga  Bay  at  the  foot  of  Fuji  Yama.  A 
fisherman  in  a long  recitative  describes  the  beauty 
of  the  spot,  the  quiet  sea,  the  soft  moonlight,  and 
his  soul  is  filled  with  rapture.  Suddenly  an  aromatic 
breeze  arises  and  he  hears  strains  of  music.  Looking 
up,  he  sees  hanging  on  a tree  the  beautiful  garment 
of  a fairy.  He  climbs  the  tree  and  takes  possession 
of  the  robe,  when  suddenly  he  hears  a voice  saying, 
“I  beg  you  to  give  me  back  my  wings.”  The  fisher- 
man answers,  “I  have  found  them  and  will  keep 
them.”  After  a long  dialogue  between  the  fairy  and 
the  fisherman  he  agrees  to  give  her  back  her  wings 
on  condition  that  she  dance  before  him.  She  dances, 
almost  forgetting  when  to  stop,  until  she  begins  to 
ascend,  supported  by  her  magic  wings,  and  finally 
disappears  into  the  clouds  above  Fuji  Yama. 


Chapter  XXVIII 


Architecture  — Art  — Sculpture  — Painting  — Decorative  art 
(ceramic,  enamel,  bronze). 


“Japanese  genius  attains  perfection,”  says  Cham- 
berlain, “in  little  things;”  and  what  wonderful 
artistic  sentiment  is  displayed  in  the  small  ivory 
figures  (netzke),  in  tsubos  and  other  ornamentations 
of  the  sword.  But  architecture  demands  grandeur 
and  beauty  on  a large  scale,  and  we  must  admit  that 
Japan  has  not  produced  anything  which  can  compare 
with  the  Parthenon,  the  Taj  Mahal,  the  Cathedral 
in  Milan,  Saint  Peters  in  Rome,  or  Saint  Sophia  in 
Constantinople.  It  is  possible  that  we  cannot  appre- 
ciate Nikko  or  Shiba  at  their  true  value.  I have 
remarked  before  that  the  Japanese  building  itself 
never  makes  an  impression.  It  is  the  detail  in 
decoration  which  is  artistic.  In  the  temple,  which 
in  itself  is  a shed  on  piles,  with  a massive  roof,  you 
admire  the  beautiful  carving,  the  gold  ornaments 
and  so  on.  The  interior  arrangements  of  every 
building,  temple,  house  and  feudal  palace  give  alike 
the  impression  of  a bare  barn. 

A bird’s-eye  view  of  a Japanese  town  gives  noth- 
ing artistic.  It  is  simply  a monotonous  collection 
of  sheds  and  booths,  with  not  even  a tower;  and  if 
there  is  a pagoda  in  Chinese  style  it  is  hidden  among 
trees.  Speaking  of  the  perfection  in  details  attained 


328  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

by  the  Japanese,  there  is  another  valuable  trait, 
which  bespeaks  their  artistic  nature.  Although  they 
have  produced  nothing  original  in  their  architecture, 
having  copied  Chinese,  they  understood  how  to 
create  for  each  temple  particularly  enchanting  sur- 
roundings, so  that  it  is  difficult  to  decide  whether 
you  admire  most  the  magnificent  trees,  the  small 
streams  with  bridges  crossing  them,  the  view  of  the 
surrounding  country,  or  the  temple  itself,  which  is 
in  perfect  harmony,  making  one  whole  with  nature. 

Can  one  speak  of  Japanese  sculpture?  If  this 
word  means  to  you  the  beautiful  creations  of  Greek 
genius,  then,  no.  With  the  exception  of  several 
Buddhas  cast  in  bronze,  and  a stone  figure  of  Buddha 
on  the  road  from  Ashinoyu  to  Hakone,  Japan  has 
very  little  statuary,  for  you  cannot  call  the  monstrous 
figures  of  “Nio,”  the  guardian  figures  at  Nara, 
statues.  They  can  inspire  terror  hut  they  cannot  be 
called  works  of  art.  Take  for  instance  the  statues 
of  the  Buddhist  saints — they  represent  no  beauty  of 
form ; but  this  is  another  matter.  Like  Byzantine 
art,  the  Buddhist  tries  to  convey  the  meaning  that 
the  soul  is  greater  than  the  body,  and  the  more 
hideous  the  bodily  covering  the  higher  the  soul. 
Consequently  these  statues  of  the  Buddhists  saints 
are  simply  monstrosities. 

We  have  the  statue  of  Iyeyasu  in  Shiba,  but 
formerly  the  statues  of  great  men  were  very  rare. 
The  Japanese  sculptor  par  excellence  is  Hidari 
Jingoro,  born  in  1594,  although  he  has  left  nothing 
excepting  some  figures  of  animals,  like  the  sleeping 
cat  at  Niklco,  and  two  elephants.  His  horse,  it  is 
said,  was  so  lifelike  that  it  began  grazing.  We  have 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  329 

already  given  with  regard  to  Jingoro  the  Japanese 
version  of  the  myth  of  Pygmalion  and  Galathea. 
The  strength  of  the  Japanese  does  not  lie  in  plastic 
beauty,  but  in  small  figures  (netzke),  which  are 
astonishing  by  their  vitality  and  inimitable  humor. 
The  comic  vein  in  the  Japanese  is  very  strong  and 
he  quickly  seizes  the  ludicrous  traits  of  human 
nature,  and  with  what  marvelous  perfection  of  detail 
he  reproduces  them. 

In  the  dim  past  of  its  history,  Japanese  art  was 
wholly  under  the  influence  of  China  and  Korea,  from 
whence  Japan  received  the  Buddhist  teaching.  The 
most  noted  artist  of  that  time  was  Kanaoka  (the 
middle  of  the  ninth  century).  The  greater  part  of 
his  works  were  destroyed  by  fire  and  only  drawings 
of  a religious  character  (Buddhist)  have  remained. 
This  artist  distinguished  himself  by  making  portraits 
of  the  Chinese  sages.  About  the  eleventh  century 
Japanese  art  developed  in  two  directions — one  school 
following  strictly  the  Chinese  tradition,  another 
taking  its  subjects  from  life,  principally  from  the 
court  sphere,  and  is  distinguished  by  its  mannerism 
and  conventionalities.  In  the  history  of  the  National 
school  of  Karo  there  are  six  periods.  The  first 
period,  represented  by  Motonubu,  distinguished  itself 
by  its  archaism  and  strict  working  out  of  details. 
Eitoku,  of  the  second  period,  was  remarkable  for 
the  strength  and  largeness  of  his  drawings.  In  the 
third  period,  under  the  artist  Taniu,  the  school  dis- 
tinguished itself  by  its  individuality  and  elegance. 
From  this  time  begins  the  decadence  of  the  school. 
Speaking  of  art  in  Japan,  we  cannot  bring  to  bear 
upon  it  our  European  ideas  and  we  must  not  forget 


330  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

the  particular  conditions  amidst  which  it  was  devel- 
oped. The  artists  of  former  times  were  in  the 
position  of  artisans,  generally  in  the  pay  of  the 
Shogun,  or  some  other  feudal  lord.  The  highest 
class  in  the  state  was  the  warrior  class,  having  right 
to  carry  arms ; the  second  class  was  the  agricultural ; 
the  third,  artisans  and  painters;  the  lowest  class  of 
all  being  merchants.  Any  one  wishing  to  dedicate 
himself  to  painting  became  an  apprentice  of  a 
celebrated  artist,  who  generally,  as  I said  before,  was 
in  the  pay  of  the  Shogun  or  feudals;  and  during  the 
apprenticeship  the  pupil  was  in  the  position  of  a 
vassal.  He  was  apprenticed  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
or  fifteen  years.  Another  peculiarity  was  that  the 
children  of  merchants  were  not  received  in  a studio. 
The  reception  of  an  apprentice  had  a solemn  char- 
acter. The  pupil  was  obliged  to  present  the  master 
with  five  fans  and  eighty  sen,  to  the  son  of  the  master 
three  fans  and  eighty  sen,  and  the  same  to  the 
mistress  of  the  house,  with  twenty  sen  for  the 
purchase  of  playthings  for  the  children.  Besides 
all  this  he  gave  to  his  comrades  three  gallons  of  rice 
brandy  and  thirty  hiki  for  fish  food. 

The  pupils  of  the  school  of  Kano  were  obliged  to 
cut  all  relations  with  the  Chinese  school  and  to 
refrain  from  studying  genre  drawing.  Drawing 
from  nature  was  not  demanded  and  in  the  beginning 
they  simply  copied  the  models  of  Tsuneobu.  These 
drawings,  to  the  number  of  sixty,  were  bound  in  book 
form,  several  copies  of  which  were  in  each  school. 
Copying  one  drawing  several  times,  the  pupil  learned 
the  minutest  details  of  it,  after  which  he  brought  his 
work  to  the  master;  then  he  did  the  same  thing  with 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  331 

the  following  drawing,  until  he  finished  the  five 
volumes.  This  work  was  continued  daily  from 
sunrise  to  sunset  during  a year  and  a half,  after 
which  the  pupil  began  the  twelve  pictures  of  flowers 
and  birds  of  Tsunenobu,  on  which  he  spent  another 
half  year,  after  which  the  work  became  varied  and 
he  copied  the  drawings  of  Monobu,  Eitoku,  Riumin, 
and  other  Japanese  and  Chinese  artists,  and  also 
began  to  use  colors,  assisting  the  master  for  two  or 
three  years  more  in  illuminating  drawings.  By  this 
work  the  pupil  freed  himself  from  paying  his  board. 
After  seven  or  eight  years  more  he  had  the  right  to 
use  one  of  the  characters  in  the  name  of  his  teacher. 
For  instance,  the  last  Kano  Hogai,  the  pupil  of 
Masanobu,  had  the  right  to  sign  himself  Masa-michi. 
Only  at  the  age  of  thirty  years  did  the  pupil  finish 
his  course.  Presenting  his  teacher  with  two  baskets 
of  fish,  or  one  yen  and  sixty  sen,  and  other  presents 
to  his  comrades,  he  was  free  to  open  his  own  studio. 

Such  a course  could  only  tend  to  kill  all  originality, 
and  the  pupil  to  the  end  of  his  life  copied  old  models ; 
yet  there  were  some  strong  natures,  who  in  spite  of 
this  oppression  created  works  of  art.  Among  such 
artists  we  can  mention  Korin,  born  in  1661.  He 
painted  screens,  kakemono  (rolls),  and  his  birds  and 
flowers  were  particularly  beautiful ; but  he  surpassed 
himself  in  his  drawings  on  lacquer-ware. 

Such  a protest  against  all  traditions  was  expressed 
by  the  popular  school  in  which  the  celebrated  Hoksai 
came  to  the  fore.  This  brilliant  artist  was  dis- 
tinguished for  his  inexhaustible  humor  and  the 
richness  and  variety  of  his  subjects.  At  the  time 
when  other  celebrated  artists,  like  Okio  and  Kiosai, 


332  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

studied  to  the  minutest  detail  birds,  monkeys,  tigers, 
and  flowers,  Hoksai  freely  took  scenes  from  popular 
life,  finding  in  it  an  inexhaustible  source  of  inspira- 
tion, and  the  most  comical  traits  of  human  nature 
did  not  escape  his  acute  power  of  observation. 

Speaking  of  Japanese  artists  we  must  not  forget 
the  tragic  fate  of  Watanabe  Kasan,  who,  having 
occasion  to  see  pictures  by  European  masters,  appre- 
ciated at  once  the  merits  of  European  painting 
in  regard  to  chiaro  oscuro  and  perspective.  But 
Watanabe  lived  in  a hard,  oppressive  period,  when 
the  smallest  hint  at  anything  foreign  was  considered 
a crime,  and  very  soon  the  hundred-voiced  rumor  of 
public  opinion  proclaimed  him  a dangerous  inno- 
vator, and  he  was  compelled  to  commit  hara-kiri  in 
1840.  I have  still  to  mention  the  distinguishing 
peculiarities  of  Japanese  paintings.  First  of  all,  I 
cannot  agree  with  those  who  go  into  ecstasies  and 
find  in  Japanese  art  some  new  revelation.  We  often 
hear  of  the  “rise  of  Japanese  art,”  and  forget  that 
this  flourishing  period  was  at  the  same  time  that 
Europe  had  Raphael,  Michel  Angelo,  Leonardo  da 
Vinci;  and  what  did  the  Japanese  present  in  com- 
parison with  these  giants  ? — a few  badly  drawn 
Buddhist  saints  and  Chinese  sages.  You  have  only 
to  look  at  them  to  note  the  ignorance  of  perspective, 
heads  out  of  all  proportion  with  bodies,  and  many 
other  shortcomings.  Flowers,  birds,  fish,  and 
animals,  on  the  other  hand,  are  very  lifelike  and  well 
drawn.  During  my  wanderings  in  Japan,  and 
especially  in  Kyoto,  I remember  the  artistically 
finished  storks  and  chrysanthemums,  so  vivid  in 
coloring,  and  cherry  trees  full  of  bloom ; but  while 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  333 

all  this  is  very  good  as  decorative  art,  like  drawings 
on  screens  and  sliding  walls,  no  one  would  exchange 
any  of  them  for  a Raphael.  But  people  will  say 
that  you  must  not  make  the  same  demands  on 
Japanese  art  which  you  would  make  on  European 
art.  We  must  not  forget  that  Japanese  art  developed 
independently  of  Europe  and  followed  its  original 
way.  The  Japanese  artist  was  bound  by  tradition 
and  was  obliged  to  follow  blindly  the  teachings 
inherited  from  the  great  masters.  The  least  devia- 
tion from  these  models  or  the  slightest  flight  of 
imagination  was  counted  a crime.  If  there  was  no 
cloud  in  a landscape  it  was  a great  mistake  to  put  one 
in.  The  moon  must  always  reflect  in  the  lake,  but 
the  reflection  of  trees  or  mountains  is  not  always 
admissible.  Yet  in  spite  of  these  fetters  the  Japanese 
have  accomplished  marvels,  overcoming  the  strict 
demands  of  tradition  with  cleverness.  Take,  for 
instance,  the  Japanese  landscape  in  which  the 
Japanese  individuality  expresses  itself  so  character- 
istically. In  spite  of  lack  of  perspective  and  the 
knowledge  of  chiaro  oscuro,  these  drawings  give  the 
impression  of  extraordinary  artistic  productions; 
they  are  enlivened  by  such  feeling,  poetical  beauty, 
and  contain  such  strength.  Certainly  they  are  not 
finished,  like  landscapes  by  our  artists.  They  are 
merely  sketches,  thrown  on  paper  or  silk  with  the 
audacious  brush  of  the  artist,  a few  strokes  repre- 
senting a tempest,  rain  and  clouds,  through  which 
stand  out  rocks  of  weird  form,  a poor  village,  a 
crooked  pine,  and  all  represented  with  such  realism 
that  in  spite  of  yourself  you  stand  in  admiration 
before  such  a wonderful  interpretation  of  nature. 


334  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

At  the  time  when  many  connoisseurs  in  Europe 
were  enraptured  with  Japanese  art,  the  Japanese 
themselves,  on  the  contrary,  were  seeking  ideas 
in  European  art.  We  know  already  the  case  of 
Watanabe  Kasan,  who,  remaining  true  to  his 
traditions,  yet  found  that  it  was  necessary  to  borrow 
many  things  from  Europe.  Others  after  the 
Restoration  went  even  farther,  and  began  painting 
in  oils  quite  in  European  style.  Instead  of  Kake- 
monos they  produced  real  pictures  in  gold  frames, 
quite  like  one  finds  in  European  galleries.  At  an 
exposition  in  Kyoto,  of  which  I have  spoken  before, 
there  was  a picture  gallery  which  for  a moment  made 
me  think  I had  been  transported  to  Europe.  The 
impression  was  soon  dissipated  upon  closer  inspec- 
tion of  these  coarse  daubs.  Battle-pieces  certainly 
occupied  a great  place  in  this  exhibition,  and  the 
heroism  of  Japan  was  depicted  in  all  its  glory.  You 
will  see,  for  instance,  a little  Japanese  piercing 
through  with  his  bayonet  several  Chinese  at  once. 
The  battle-pieces  are  either  imitations  of  European 
productions  and  models,  or  if  they  are  original  they 
are  very  poor  in  conception.  For  instance,  here  are 
six  Chinamen,  killed  in  battle,  lying  side  by  side  in 
a perfectly  regular  row.  Portrait  painting  flourishes 
also.  There  is  a portrait  of  the  Imperial  prince  in 
all  his  regalia.  You  may  not  know  that  the  prince 
commands  a regiment,  but  the  artist  Matsuoka,  to 
relieve  any  doubt  in  your  mind,  has  painted  beside 
the  prince  a lot  of  toy  soldiers.  The  idea  in  a picture 
by  Matsui  pleased  me  more  than  any  other.  A 
mother  with  her  son  and  daughter  receive  the  news 
of  the  death  of  her  husband  on  the  battlefield.  The 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  335 

mother  and  son  stoically  support  the  blow,  but  the 
little  daughter  does  not  control  herself  and  is  crying 
bitterly.  This  is  psychologically  true.  The  Japanese 
will  always  speak  with  a smile  of  the  death  of  their 
nearest  parents  or  of  any  misfortune.  Last,  though 
not  least,  we  have  arrived  before  the  picture  by 
Kuroda  which  raised  such  a storm  among  Japanese 
critics.  Why?  Kuroda  studied  in  Paris  and  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  exhibiting  the  nude  figure  of  a 
European  woman.  We  know  that  the  nude  in 
Japan  presents  nothing  shocking,  so  why  all  this 
fuss  about  that  picture  by  Kuroda,  which  produced 
such  a scandal  that  the  public  demanded  its  removal. 
Kuroda  certainly  became  famous  through  it  and  his 
picture  was  the  “clou”  of  the  exhibition.  There 
were  several  examples  of  the  impressionist  style,  and 
the  Japanese  certainly  outstripped  their  teachers, 
making  blue  trees,  red  water,  and  lilac  dogs. 

From  all  this  it  is  easy  to  see  that  Japanese  art  is 
in  a transition  state.  On  one  hand  the  artists  copy 
the  old  masters  and  give  us,  according  to  a certain 
pattern,  storks,  cats  and  tigers;  on  the  other  hand 
there  is  an  effort  to  assimilate  European  art,  and  if 
the  first  efforts  which  I saw  in  Kyoto  were  not 
successful,  later  results  were  simply  marvelous. 
Two  years  ago,  in  Washington,  I saw  an  exhibition 
by  Japanese  landscape  artists  and  could  not  believe 
my  eyes.  At  first  I thought  that  the  pictures  were 
colored  photographs,  so  distinct  was  every  detail ; 
but  on  closer  examination  I found  it  was  the  new 
method  of  daubing ; but  with  what  perfection  it  was 
done,  and  what  wonderful  effects  it  produced ! We 


336  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

must  remember  that  this  is  only  the  beginning.  The 
Japanese  are  first  of  all  artists,  and  if  they  formerly 
slavishly  copied  Chinese,  once  freed  from  these 
fetters  they  will  assert  themselves.  As  regards  the 
understanding  and  close  relationship  with  nature, 
this  sentiment  is  more  highly  developed  in  the 
Japanese  than  in  the  other  nation.  It  seems  to  me 
that  the  Japanese  will  develop  on  new  European 
lines  landscape  and  genre  art,  something  like  the 
Dutch  school.  The  artistic  sentiment  of  a people 
cannot  suddenly  disappear  without  reason,  and  most 
Japanese  are  themselves  convinced  that  there  is  no 
return  to  the  old  Chinese  art. 

The  slavish  copying  of  old  models  will  remain  in 
the  decorative  art,  through  which  the  Japanese  justly 
became  famous ; hut  even  in  this,  inexorable  time  has 
left  its  seal.  At  present  who  will  make  netzke, 
which  are  necessary  attributes  of  Japanese  life,  and 
who  needs  artistic  sword  hilts,  when  the  army  is 
reformed  on  European  lines  and  arms  are  turned 
out  cheaper  from  the  manufactories?  All  these 
small  chefs-d’oeuvre  will  be  made  later  only  for 
export  to  Europe  and  America,  until  the  time  when 
they  also  will  be  turned  out  by  machinery.  For 
already  where  is  the  artist  who  will  give  a whole 
year  to  the  decoration  of  a sword  hilt?  You  cannot 
find  him. 

The  result  will  be  the  same  as  we  have  seen  with 
the  export  of  Japanese  porcelain,  the  merits  of  which 
deteriorate  each  year.  But  the  Japanese  gain  in 
quantity  what  they  lose  in  quality.  Where  are  the 
days  when  for  a piece  of  Ninsei  porcelain  (the 
golden  age  of  Japanese  ceramic  art)  a thousand  gold 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  337 

pieces  would  be  paid,  to  say  nothing  of  the  sacrifice 
of  men’s  lives?  This  porcelain  was  white  with  a 
bluish  tint,  very  hard  and  smooth.  For  those  who 
care  to  look  closer  into  Japanese  ceramic  art  I would 
recommend  Rein  (“Japan,”  pp.  538-582),  Chamber- 
lain  (“Things  Japanese”),  and  Gonse  (“L’Art  de 
Japon”).  For  my  part  I have  made  my  remarks  on 
Japanese  porcelain  during  the  account  of  my  visit  to 
different  places,  and  I will  not  repeat  them  now.  I 
will  only  state  that  Japanese  ceramic  art  began  in 
1600  and  reached  its  highest  perfection  from  1750 
to  1830.  The  black  and  brown  tea-pots  called  “seto- 
mono”  (things  from  Seto),  of  the  thirteenth  century, 
and  the  imitations  of  the  Chinese  blue  are  highly 
prized  by  Japanese  amateurs,  and  are  used  for  the 
ceremony  of  the  Cha-noyu.  They  represent,  how- 
ever, but  small  interest  from  the  European  point  of 
view.  Like  all  the  arts,  ceramic  was  taken  from 
China  and  Korea,  and  one  must  say  that  the  Japanese 
have  never  succeeded  in  producing  the  blue  “sous 
couverte”  which  distinguishes  the  Chinese  porcelain, 
and  also  the  Japanese  have  never  reached  the  perfec- 
tion in  glazing  of  the  Chinese. 

Bronze  was  borrowed  from  China,  and  to  the 
present  day  is  called  Chinese  metal ; but  we  must  say 
that  the  Japanese  have  attained  a high  degree  of 
perfection  in  this  art.  We  have  already  spoken  of 
the  bronze  Buddha  of  Kamakura.  In  ordinary  life 
you  will  see  only  bronze  vases,  incense  burners,  and 
hibachi  used.  At  the  present  time  much  bronze- 
work  is  done  for  export,  with  dragons  and  extra- 
ordinary designs.  The  masters  of  this  art  prepare 
the  object  a cire  perdue.  They  form  the  wax  model 


338  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

simply  with  their  hands,  after  which  they  cover  it 
with  clay,  then  add  to  it  a thicker  layer  of  clay,  then 
dry  it  in  the  fire  and  the  wax  trickles  out  drop  by 
drop.  Finally  the  metal  is  poured  into  this  form, 
which  is  broken  off  with  a hammer  when  the  metal 
is  cold.  Thus  of  the  bronze  objects  made  in  Japan 
there  is  only  one  of  a kind,  and  if  you  have  a beau- 
tiful vase  you  know  that  you  cannot  duplicate  it. 

I have  also  spoken  of  lacquer  and  cloisonne  in  my 
chapter  on  Kyoto,  and  one  must  see  them  in  the 
country  to  understand  them.  The  best  proof  of  how 
taste  can  be  cultivated  is  that  the  tourist  who  arrives 
in  Japan  buys  indiscriminately  all  sorts  of  art 
treasures,  which  after  he  remains  in  the  country 
some  time  he  throws  out  of  the  window.  With  the 
cheap  fabrication  of  articles  made  for  export  the 
good  things  grow  rarer  and  rarer  every  year,  and 
the  Japanese  will  one  day  have  to  study  their  chefs- 
d’oeuvre  in  European  museums,  as  they  are  now  only 
preserved  in  the  palaces  and  aristocratic  families  of 
Japan. 


PART  FOURTH 


ECONOMICAL  AND  FINANCIAL  SITUA- 
TION OF  JAPAN. 

Chapter  XXIX 

Agriculture — Forestry — Fisheries — Mineral  wealth. 

Notwithstanding-  its  sudden  growth  in  manufac- 
tories, Japan  still  remains  an  agricultural  country. 
By  the  last  statistics  about  56  per  cent,  of  the  pro- 
duction of  Japan,  or  half  a billion  yen  (yen  is  equal 
to  50  cents  gold),  belong  to  agriculture,  36  per  cent, 
to  manufactures,  5 per  cent,  to  fisheries,  2 per  cent, 
to  mining. 

According  to  the  official  reports  of  1898,  all  the 
land  belonging  to  private  persons  and  corporations 
and  paying  taxes  amounted  to  33.545,710  acres, 
of  which  12,680,907  were  under  cultivation  and 
18,125,546  were  covered  with  forests.  Farming  in 
Japan  is  on  a very  small  scale.  The  holdings  are 
generally  not  more  than  two  and  a half  acres,  and 
a farm  of  ten  acres  is  considered  very  large.  Of 
course  there  exist  farmers  who  own  as  much  as  two 
hundred  and  fifty  acres.  Those  do  not  generally 
work  the  land  themselves,  but  rent  it  out  in  small 
plots,  receiving  an  income  in  money  or  produce. 
The  typical  Japanese  farmer  cultivates  about  five 


340  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

acres.  He  is  counted  well-to-do,  has  a house  with 
five  rooms,  and  a barn,  besides  hiring  one  laborer. 

The  cultivation  of  the  ground  is  in  every  sense 
minute  and  thorough.  It  is  worked  up  with  a small 
plough,  not  differing  much  from  the  one  used  in 
ancient  Egypt,  then  it  is  mellowed  with  a rake  and 
shovel  until  there  is  not  a lump  left  on  the  field. 
When  the  earth  is  thus  powdered,  so  to  speak,  the 
field  is  put  under  water,  after  which  young  rice 
seedlings  are  planted.  This  work  is  done  by  women. 
The  fields  are  continually  weeded  and  manured. 
One  can  say  that  nothing  is  thrown  away  in  Japan. 
Horse  manure  is  carefully  collected  in  baskets  on 
the  streets  and  high  roads  and  brought  to  the  fields. 
There  is  a regular  business  in  cities  and  villages  of 
collecting  human  excrement  and  saving  it  in  special 
reservoirs.  The  village  inhabitants  buy  from  the 
cities  all  the  contents  of  the  cesspools  and  carefully 
preserve  them  in  reservoirs  as  a treasure,  where 
they  are  mixed  with  decayed  straw.  One  must  see, 
although  it  is  not  appetizing,  a whole  flotilla  of  flat- 
boats  going  from  the  Sumida-Gawa  in  Tokyo  into 
the  adjoining  canals,  where  great  crowds  of  peasants 
are  waiting  with  scoops  to  collect  this  liquid  fertil- 
izer, which  they  carry  off  to  their  fields. 

The  Japanese,  as  a rule,  does  not  fertilize  the 
entire  field,  but  merely  the  root  of  the  plant  or  the 
grain  itself,  and  varies  it  according  to  the  nature  of 
the  grain,  employing  ashes,  fish  fertilizer,  straw, 
decayed  bean,  mustard  or  rape  leaves,  lime  or 
phosphates. 

When  the  rice  is  ripe  the  water  is  drained  off  the 
field.  The  harvesting  is  done  from  the  middle  of 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


341 


September  to  October.  Sometimes  an  acre  of  ground 
will  yield  from  fifty  to  sixty  bushels  of  rice.  There 
is  one  kind  of  rice,  called  mountain  rice,  which  does 
not  need  irrigation.  The  thrashing  is  done  in  quite 
a primitive  way  with  a flail  or,  as  I have  seen  it 
done,  the  ears  are  pounded  with  a small  hammer. 

After  a short  rest  the  husbandman  prepares  his 
plot  in  November  for  sowing  in  small  beds  of  wheat, 
barley,  and  mustard,  and  generously  manures  the 
whole.  It  would  be  interesting  to  note  the  average 
business  of  a well-to-do  farmer  owning  five  acres  of 
land. 

INCOME. 

Thirty-five  bushels  of  rice  (the  minimum) . . 140  yen 

Twelve  bushels  of  wheat 54  “ 

Other  products 10  “ 

Total 204  yen 

EXPENDITURES. 

Taxes  

Wages  of  one  laborer 
Fertilizers  

Total 90  yen 

Thus  leaving  a clear  income  of  one  hundred  and 
fourteen  yen,  or  fifty-seven  dollars  gold. 

As  we  have  said  before,  the  owner  of  five  acres 
is  considered  well-to-do,  but  there  are  many — nearly 
three  millions,  or  the  fourth  part  of  the  agricultural 
population — who  do  not  possess  so  much.  Another 
inconvenience  of  Japanese  fanning  is  that  the  fields 
are  widely  dispersed  in  small  plots  and  much  of  the 
farmer’s  time  is  spent  in  going  from  one  plot  to 
another. 


30  yen 
40  “ 
20  “ 


342  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

Until  the  year  1873  the  small  property  was  pre- 
dominant in  Japan,  as  all  the  land  de  jure  was  con- 
sidered to  belong  to  the  Mikado,  and  the  farmers 
were  looked  upon  as  holding  it  for  a certain  time. 
From  1873  private  property  was  recognized  by  the 
state  as  such,  and  the  owners  of  rice  fields  had  the 
right  to  sell  and  mortgage  their  lands.  This  brought 
a great  change  in  farm  lands,  of  which  many  in 
thirty  years  passed  from  small  farmers  to  great  land 
owners,  and  now  two-thirds  of  the  tillers  of  the  soil 
do  not  own  their  land,  but  rent  it  from  large  land 
owners.  We  can  say  that  of  5,500,000  families  of 
agriculturists  3,000,000  are  owners  of  the  land  and 
2,500,000  rent  it.  This  diminution  of  small  pro- 
prietors is  ruinous  to  the  prosperity  of  Japan,  as 
the  large  land  owners  do  not  improve  agricultural 
methods,  letting  their  properties  out  in  small  plots, 
and  preferring  to  live  on  their  income  in  cities.  Of 
the  agricultural  products,  rice  occupies  the  first  place. 
In  1890  the  country  yielded  43,037,807  kokus  (one 
koku  is  equal  to  182  litres  or  quarts)  ; in  1900, 
41,465,127  kokus.  One  can  see  by  these  statistics 
that  the  production  of  rice  remains  about  stationary. 

If  we  examine  the  tables  of  imports  and  exports 
we  can  see  that  rice,  which  formerly  was  the  prin- 
cipal product  of  export,  at  present  is  exported  only 
for  eight  million  yen  and  imported  for  nine. 

In  1900  Japan  exported  4,233,860  koku  of  wheat, 
8,656,404  kokus  of  barley,  and  7,496,919  kokus  of 
rye. 

The  prices  fluctuated.  For  one  koku  of  rice  eight 
to  nine  yen  was  paid;  wheat,  from  three  to  four 
yen;  barley,  from  two  to  three  yen.  Besides  Japan 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  343 

produces  many  kinds  of  beans,  potatoes,  sweet  po- 
tatoes, lotus,  and  many  other  things. 

The  sweet  potato  named  satsumo  imo,  or  satsumo 
potato,  having  an  abundance  of  sugar,  is  produced 
in  great  quantities,  about  567,000,000  kwamme  (a 
kwamme  is  equal  to  eight  and  a half  English 
pounds). 

Other  sources  of  revenue  are  tea,  cotton,  silk,  and 
sugar.  In  1898  there  were  produced  8,445,726 
kwamme  of  tea,  exported  principally  to  America. 
I11  1900  the  export  amounted  to  9,000,000  yen. 

Silk  in  1900  was  exported  to  the  value  of  48,000,- 
000  yen,  while  on  the  other  hand  Japan  imports  for 
her  factories,  cocoons  and  raw  silks  to  the  amount 
of  2,500,000  yen. 

The  cotton  produced  is  insufficient  for  home  con- 
sumption, and  Japan  buys  from  the  United  States 
and  other  countries  to  the  extent  of  59,000,000  yen. 

Only  a third  of  the  sugar  necessary  for  the  needs 
of  the  country  is  produced  in  Japan ; the  rest  comes 
from  China  and  other  places. 

Fruit  trees,  which  were  formerly  used  for  deco- 
ration only,  now  give  a revenue.  Apples  are  ex- 
ported from  Yezo  and  oranges  are  exported  to 
Siberia  and  America. 

Japan  lately  has  been  cultivating  tobacco,  and 
even  exporting  it  in  moderate  quantities. 

Medicinal  herbs,  roots,  and  plants  are  numerous 
in  Japan  (ginseng,  ginger,  cinnamon,  etc.),  to  say 
nothing  of  camphor,  which  is  exported  to  the 
amount  of  1,500,000  yen. 

Horse  raising  has  made  no  special  progress  since 
1879,  when  there  were  1,454,823  head,  and  in  1900, 


344 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


1,561,388  head.  In  1900  there  were  in  the  country 
1,254,265  head  of  horned  cattle. 

Although  one-quarter  of  Japan  is  covered  with 
dense  forests,  there  is  almost  no  revenue  from  this 
direction.  In  Prussia  forestry  gives  a revenue  of 
twelve  million,  in  Japan  scarcely  half  a million. 

The  fisheries,  together  with  the  agriculture,  play 
a great  role  in  the  national  income,  if  we  remember 
that  700,000  families  are  occupied  in  this  industry. 
The  annual  earnings  of  such  families  are  on  an  aver- 
age of  thirty  to  forty  yen.  No  wonder  they  live 
in  poor  huts  and  eat  only  potatoes  and  fish.  Those 
who  go  to  the  north  or  to  Korea  are  better  off,  as 
they  gain  from  eighty  to  a hundred  yen  a year. 

Japan,  which  is  rich  in  grain,  cannot  complain 
of  lack  of  mineral  wealth.  Let  us  begin  with  the 
coal,  which  in  1874  was  not  exported,  though  390,- 
000  tons  were  extracted.  In  1899  the  output  was 
6,696,023  tons,  and  the  export  amounted  to  3,000,- 
000  tons  from  the  mines.  In  1900  the  output  was 
7,400,000  tons.  In  1904  coal  was  exported  for  the 
sum  of  20,023,103  yen.  The  coal  wealth  of  Japan, 
according  to  the  calculations  of  mining  engineers, 
is  distributed  as  follows : The  mine  of  Miike  con- 
tains 150,000,000  tons;  Karatzu,  330,000,000  tons; 
Hiramo,  70,000,000  tons;  Toyomai,  670,000.000 
tons;  Amakusa,  20,000,000  tons;  Dorunai,  12.000,- 
000  tons.  Besides  these,  there  is  the  Takashima 
mine  with  a yearly  output  of  half  a million  tons. 
These  mines  generally  do  not  look  like  most  mines  in 
the  black  country.  Let  us  take  for  instance  Mikke, 
situated  in  a beautiful  country  near  Nagasaki,  on 
the  sea  shore,  covering  a space  of  sixteen  thousand 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


345 


acres  and  having  eight  thousand  miners.  The  prin- 
cipal layer  of  coal  is  twenty  feet  thick.  The  mine  is 
lighted  by  electricity  and  the  pump  for  taking  the 
water  from  a depth  of  900  feet  is  said  to  be  the 
greatest  in  the  world.  Petroleum  found  in  Echigo 
was  a few  years  ago  an  unimportant  product,  but 
now  gives  18,000,000  gallons  of  naphtha  and  1,349,- 
125  gallons  of  kerosene. 

As  for  iron,  Japan  has  to  import  it  to  the  amount 
of  1,000,000  yen.  More  successful  is  the  export 
of  copper  for  the  sum  of  12,863,927  yen,  going  prin- 
cipally to  Hongkong,  China,  and  Great  Britain. 

The  output  of  gold  was  309,145  mommes  (120 
momme  is  equal  to  an  English  pound),  and  silver, 
16,118,242  momme. 

Among  the  minerals  of  Japan  we  must  not  forget 
magnese,  antimony,  and  sulphur,  which  is  taken 
from  the  volcanoes  to  the  amount  of  2,762,348 
kwamme,  and  salt,  which  reaches  about  1,000,000 
tons. 


Chapter  XXX 


Manufactures  and  trade— Banking  and  stock  corporations — 
Railroads — Merchant  fleet. 

In  the  course  of  the  last  ten  years,  as  shown  by 
statistics,  the  economical  situation  of  Japan  has 
steadily  improved.  The  growth  of  the  material 
forces  is  shown  by  the  increase  of  foreign  trade 
and  quick  development  of  shipping  and  manufactur- 
ing. It  is  not  long  since  Japan  economically  was 
entirely  dependent  on  foreigners  for  armaments, 
machines,  ships,  and  manufactures,  and  now  she 
possesses  a model  admiralty  in  Yokoska,  where  they 
build  ironclads ; and  magnificent  docks  in  Kure, 
Yokoska,  and  Nagasaki,  where  foreign  ships  go 
in  for  repairs.  Also  in  an  astonishingly  short  time 
have  risen  gas  factories,  glass,  paper,  cotton,  match 
and  silk  factories,  breweries,  electric  lighting,  and 
other  manufactures  perfected  by  European  methods. 

Thirty  years  ago  the  Japanese  did  not  know  what 
a factory  was  and  her  industry  was  on  a small  scale, 
but  in  the  last  ten  years  their  number  has  steadily 
increased.  In  1892  the  increase  amounted  to  500 
factories,  in  1893  to  833  factories,  in  1894  to  848 
factories,  in  1895  to  790  factories.  In  1897  the 
total  number  of  factories  was  7,2 22,  with  from 
five  hundred  to  seven  hundred  million  yen  capital. 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


347 


In  1883  there  was  a total  of  1,883  horse-power,  and 
in  1893,  63,500;  of  that  number  Osaka  alone  uses 
12,000  horse-power. 

The  cotton  industry  met  with  the  most  rapid  suc- 
cess. Only  in  1884  all  the  cotton  goods  used  in 
Japan  were  imported  from  England  and  India,  while 
at  present  Osaka  is  justly  called  the  Japanese  Man- 
chester and  Japanese  cotton  goods  successfully  com- 
pete with  English  wares  in  China.  To  clearly 
understand  the  growth  of  this  industry  we  will  state 
that  in  1886  there  were  eight  cotton  mills  with 
65,500  spindles,  and  in  1901  there  were  seventy 
cotton  mills  with  1,148,545  spindles;  of  these  the 
factory  in  Tokyo  has  45,000  spindles  with  3,000 
workmen.  The  income  from  one  spindle  amounted 
to  3,661  yen.  These  figures  may  not  be  quite  exact, 
but  one  needs  only  to  glance  over  the  list  of  the  com- 
panies to  see  that  the  dividend  is  from  6 to  15  and 
20  per  cent.,  and  there  are  some  which  amount  to 
35  to  50  per  cent.  Lately  the  Japanese  industries 
have  been  suffering  from  over-production.  The 
large  dividends  explain  the  mushroom  growth  of 
numerous  stock  companies,  especially  since  the  Chi- 
nese war  with  Japan.  The  number  of  stock  compa- 
nies in  1901  amounted  to  2,169,  representing  a capi- 
tal of  340,123,000  yen.  These  figures  cannot  be 
implicitly  relied  on,  as  much  of  this  stock  was 
watered. 

In  1891  the  cotton  and  silk  mills  gave  30,000,000 
yen,  and  in  1900,  170,000,000  yen.  Cotton  yarn 
was  exported  from  Japan  in  1900  to  the  amount  of 
20,000,000  yen,  cotton  goods  to  the  amount  of 
8,674,540  yen. 


348  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

In  the  match  industry  Japan  has  reached  such 
results  that  no  country  can  compete  with  her.  A 
gross  (144  boxes)  is  sold  at  about  nine  cents,  while 
at  retail  two  boxes  are  sold  for  less  than  one-eighth  of 
a cent.  The  export  of  matches  in  1900  amounted  to 
5,760,860  yen,  and  even  at  the  present  time  Japanese 
matches  are  being  used  in  America.  Besides  these, 
Japan  exports  porcelain  articles  for  two  and  a half 
million  yen  and  matting  and  straw  braid  for  seven 
and  a half  million  yen.  In  a word,  we  can  state 
that  in  1872  the  export  of  manufactured  articles 
amounted  to  500,000  yen,  while  now  it  amounts  to 
50,000,000,  or  80  per  cent,  of  the  exports. 

If  we  take  into  consideration  the  cheapness  of 
labor  and  that  raw  materials  and  coal  are  found  at 
hand,  there  can  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  future  rapid 
growth  of  Japanese  industries,  and  she  will  know 
also  how  to  ward  off  foreign  wares  by  a protective 
tariff.  Even  in  the  industrial  sphere  Japan  will 
attain  her  aim,  “JaPan  for  the  Japanese.”  Before 
we  finish  we  will  glance  at  the  list  of  products  of 
different  prefectures  (ken)  of  the  country. 


Yamanashi Stuffs,  glassware,  confectionery. 

Ishikawa Porcelain,  lacquer-ware,  stuffs,  matting. 

Akita Stuffs,  lacquer-ware. 

Kumamoto Lacquer-ware,  stuffs,  faience,  tobacco. 

Tatori Stuffs. 

Aichi Stuffs,  porcelain,  string  instruments,  faience, 

cloisonne. 

Tochiji Stuffs. 

Shiga Silk  crape,  canned  goods,  gelatine. 

Hiogo Furniture,  stuffs,  table  porcelain,  butter, 

faience. 

Gifu Stone  china,  porcelain,  sake. 

Wakayama Lacquer,  flannels. 

Kagoshima Faience,  tobacco,  porcelain,  stuffs. 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


349 


Yamaguchi Mosquito  nets,  cotton  crape. 

Saitama Stuffs,  tea. 

Hokkaido  (Yezo) . Sake,  sugar,  canned  goods,  dried  fish,  sea 
colewort. 

Hiroshima Stuffs. 

Iwate Bronze,  ironwork,  confectionery. 

Niigata Stuffs,  lacquer,  confectionery. 

Nagasaki Porcelain. 

Miyachi Objects  of  petrified  wood. 

Fukuoka Hakata  material. 

Fukui Mosquito  nets,  lacquer,  crystal. 

Shizuoka Tea,  musical  instruments. 

Osaka  (City) Toilet  articles,  furniture,  pickles. 

Kochi Corals,  paper. 

City  of  Kyoto. ...  Stuffs,  umbrellas,  confectionery,  cloisonne, 
incrustations,  embroideries,  toys. 

Miye Banco,  faience,  stuffs,  paper. 

Chiba Poultry,  rabbits. 

Kanagawa Stuffs,  umbrellas,  confectionery,  cloisonne, 

beer. 

Ibaraki Stuffs,  beer,  poultry. 

Tokyo Furniture,  funeral  articles,  dishes,  toys, 

cloisonne,  lacquer,  confectionery. 

Fukushima Lacquer,  silk. 

Gumma Stuffs. 


Banking  was  introduced  in  Japan  in  1872  and 
seven  years  later  there  were  153  banks.  In  1890 
there  were  353  banks  with  a capital  of  82,000,000 
yen,  and  in  1899  there  were  2,105  hanks  with  a capi- 
tal of  288,000,000  yen. 

All  these  banks  give  good  profits.  Money  is 
loaned  at  9 to  12  per  cent.,  and  7 per  cent,  is  given 
on  deposits. 

The  building  of  railroads  has  gone  forward 
rapidly  enough,  when  you  consider  that  the  first 
road  from  Tokyo  to  Yokohama,  of  18  miles,  was 
built  only  in  1872.  In  1900  there  were  1,120  miles 
of  government  roads  and  3,290  miles  built  by  pri- 
vate companies.  The  income  from  the  government 


350 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


roads  amounts  to  6,000,000  yen,  and  from  the  pri- 
vate, 12,000,000  yen.  The  cost  of  the  first  road 
was  147,000  yen  a mile;  now  they  build  cheaper 
and  the  mile  costs  from  20,000  to  37,000  yen.  In 
1901  there  were  12,000  miles  of  telegraphic  lines 
and  3,680  miles  of  cable.  The  telephone  has 
11,813  subscribers  and  a net  of  1,627  miles.  The 
greatest  progress  has  been  made  in  shipping,  owing 
to  the  aid  given  it  by  the  government.  In  1872 
there  were  96  steamers  of  European  type  with  a ton- 
nage of  23,364,  and  in  1900  there  were  1,221  steam- 
ers with  a tonnage  of  510,007,  and  3,222  sailing 
ships  of  European  type  with  a tonnage  of  286,923 
tons. 

The  Japanese  adopted  the  French  system  of  subsi- 
dies, devoting  6,877,952  yen  to  this  purpose. 

We  know  already  of  the  Yusen  Kaisha  Steamship 
Company,  which  owned  in  1901  seventy  steamers 
with  a tonnage  of  213,583  tons. 

This  company  gives  very  good  dividends  and  has 
a capital  of  22,000,000  yen.  It  runs  lines  of  steam- 
ers between  Yokohama,  Antwerp,  and  London,  by 
way  of  Suez;  between  Hongkong  and  Seattle;  be- 
besides  lines  between  Japan,  China,  and  Korea. 
There  is  also  the  Tokyo  Kaisha,  running  a line 
between  Hongkong  and  San  Francisco. 

The  government  gives  for  each  trip  to  Europe  a 
subsidy  of  60,000  yen ; but  all  these  lines  to  Europe 
and  America,  while  flattering  to  the  vanity  of  the 
Japanese,  are  a dead  loss  to  the  government.  The 
French  minister  in  Tokyo,  Mr.  Harmand,  in  his 
report  on  the  navigation  in  Japan,  states  that  on 
the  European  lines  there  is  a loss  of  2,628,042  yen, 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


351 


and  on  the  American  line,  771,288  yen.  The  French 
minister  seems  to  doubt  the  accuracy  of  these  figures, 
thinking  that  they  are  possibly  exaggerated  in  order 
to  get  more  subsidy  from  the  government,  in  the 
hope  that  the  vanity  of  the  Japanese  will  not  allow 
them  to  deprive  themselves  of  the  pleasure  of  show- 
ing their  flag  in  far-away  countries.  The  propor- 
tion of  the  carrying  trade  in  the  year  1899  was  139,- 
437,852  out  of  the  total  trade  of  428,243,816,  and 
if  this  increase  out  of  all  proportion  to  that  of  any 
other  nation  had  continued  we  would  have  soon  seen 
all  the  carrying  trade  of  Japan  borne  in  Japanese 
vessels. 


Chapter  XXXI 


Foreign  trade — Finances — Gold  standard — The  budget  for  the 
last  years — Expenses  for  army  and  fleet — Public  debt — 
Taxes. 

Hand  in  hand  with  the  rapid  growth  of  industry 
we  see  the  development  of  foreign  trade  as  shown 
by  the  following  figures : 


We  see  by  this  that  foreign  trade  has  augmented 
eleven-fold.  The  imports,  beginning  with  the  war 
with  China,  in  the  space  of  seven  years  exceed  the 
exports  to  the  amount  of  436,000,000  yen.  The 
Japanese  financiers  try  to  explain  this  unfavorable 
circumstance  for  Japan  by  enforced  orders  for  ma- 
chinery, rails,  steamers,  ironclads  and  expenses  of 
the  Chinese  war,  and  do  not  see  in  this  a dangerous 
symptom,  as  the  whole  of  the  Chinese  war  indemnity 
of  350,000,000  yen  was  placed  in  English  banks. 
But  if  we  discount  the  sum  of  the  war  indemnity 
it  still  leaves  a deficit  of  86,000,000  yen  which  were 
sent  from  Japan  abroad,  leading  to  a stringency  of 
the  money  market  in  Japan  and  an  increased  dis- 
count in  the  Japanese  National  Bank. 

This  balance  so  disadvantageous  to  Japan  can  be 
explained  partly  by  government  orders,  but  also  by 
the  fact  that  many  articles  of  export  have  dimin- 
ished through  the  fault  of  the  Japanese  themselves. 


In  1872 
In  1901 


EXPORTS. 

17,026,647  yen 


IMPORTS. 
26,174,814  yen 
327.435,401  “ 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


353 


Foreigners  who  have  suffered  from  the  unfair 
dealings  of  the  Japanese  merchants  have  placed  their 
orders  in  other  hands,  and  many  objects  of  export 
have  thus  been  diminished.  Count  Inouye  in  his 
speech  in  Kyoto  blamed  the  Japanese  merchants  for 
the  adulteration  of  goods  destined  for  export,  as  for 
instance,  tea,  rice,  and  silk,  so  that  foreign  dealers, 
after  trying  to  protect  themselves,  finish  by  with- 
drawing their  trade  from  Japan.  Another  complaint 
of  the  foreigners  is  that  the  Japanese  never  turn  out 
goods  up  to  the  standard  of  the  sample  ordered 
from.  Another  cause  of  protest  by  the  foreign 
merchant  is  that  in  giving  orders  to  Europe  or 
America  for  the  Japanese  merchants  they  must  be 
very  careful,  as  they  cannot  rely  on  the  Japanese. 
In  case  of  big  orders  lie  must  make  a contract  which 
is  no  guarantee  in  Japan,  for  if  the  price  of  the 
article  ordered  goes  down  before  it  is  delivered,  the 
Japanese  will  refuse  to  keep  his  part  of  the  contract, 
and  in  case  of  litigation  the  foreigner  will  find  that 
all  the  property  of  the  Japanese  merchant  passed 
into  the  hands  of  his  relatives,  so  there  is  no  re- 
dress, and  many  of  the  European  commissioners 
have  their  warehouses  filled  with  goods  refused  at 
the  last  moment  by  Japanese  buyers.  But  all  this  is 
indifferent  to  the  Japanese,  as  their  chief  idea  is  to 
get  the  foreigners  out  of  the  country,  and  already, 
owing  to  the  development  of  their  industries,  they 
are  not  only  independent  of  foreign  countries,  but 
in  the  export  of  certain  manufactured  articles  to 
China  and  Korea,  .successfully  compete  with  Europe 
and  America, 


354  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

The  financial  policy  of  Japan,  which  in  the  begin- 
ning of  the  present  reign  was  in  the  highest  sense 
cautious,  lately,  under  the  impression  of  the  victori- 
ous war  with  China,  is  not  distinguished  by  its 
former  stability  and  prudence.  Here  it  will  be  in 
place  to  recall  in  a few  words  the  financial  history 
of  the  present  reign.  It  began,  owing  to  the  civil 
war,  with  innumerable  financial  difficulties.  The 
paper  money  was  depreciated  and  all  the  gold  went 
abroad.  The  feudal  lords  and  samurai  were  largely 
pensioned  and  later  the  government  found  it  con- 
venient to  give  them  bonds  to  the  amount  of  210,- 
000,000  yen.  Something  had  to  be  done,  and  finally 
the  government  decided  to  monopolize  the  rice  trade, 
as  that  was  the  principal  article  of  export.  Receiv- 
ing for  it  cash,  the  government  paid  for  it  in  the 
country  with  paper  money.  This  system  was  carried 
on  until  1886,  when  paper  was  at  par  with  silver. 
The  finances  were  put  in  order,  and  the  yearly  bud- 
get did  not  exceed  80,000.000  silver  yen. 

After  the  war  with  China  the  picture  suddenly 
changed.  The  Chinese  war  indemnity  of  350,000,- 
000  yen  turned  the  heads  of  the  Japanese  financiers, 
who  thought  that  this  fountain  of  wealth  was  inex- 
haustible. Two  hundred  million  yen  were  assigned 
to  the  strengthening  of  the  army,  which  on  a peace 
footing  was  to  consist  of  from  500,000  to  600.000 
men.  It  was  to  be  reorganized  on  Prussian  lines. 
Japan,  with  a population  of  46,000.000,  can  raise,  if 
her  resources  permit,  an  army  equal  to  the  French 
in  numbers.  For  the  fleet,  243,500,000  yen,  or 
40,000,000  more  than  for  the  army,  were  appor- 
tioned. At  the  time  of  the  war  with  China,  Japan 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  355 

> 

had  46  warships  with  a tonnage  of  78,774,  and  the 
navy  department  thought  of  bringing  the  fleet  up  to 
67  ships,  with  a tonnage  of  250,000  tons,  and  116 
torpedo  boats.  Among  the  battle-ships  the  Mikasa, 
of  15,000  tons,  is  one  of  the  greatest  in  the  world, 
and  in  1905  the  whole  program  was  to  have  been 
completed,  and  if  the  government  could  find  the 
necessary  funds  the  Japanese  fleet  was  to  be  one  of 
the  strongest  in  the  world. 

Count  up  the  expenses  for  the  army  and  navy 
and  you  will  see  that  they  far  exceeded  the  Chinese 
war  indemnity.  The  budget  augmented  to  dizzy 
proportions.  The  revenue,  from  80,000,000  yen, 
was  raised  to  254,000,000  yen.  The  Japanese  finan- 
ciers, making  their  calculations,  did  not  take  into 
consideration  that  the  war  indemnity  should  have 
been  employed  to  cover  the  expenses  of  the  war 
itself,  which  were  greater  than  had  been  expected. 
Much  outlay  was  needed  also  for  Formosa,  which 
was  ceded  to  Japan  by  the  treaty  of  Shimonoseki 
(25,000  square  miles,  with  a population  of  2,500,- 
000).  The  administration  of  the  island  of  Formosa 
cannot  so  far  be  called  successful,  as  the  Japanese, 
in  taking  possession  of  the  island,  encountered  great 
resistance  on  the  part  of  the  natives,  which  they 
put  down  with  terrific  cruelty.  Not  knowing  the 
language,  they  were  obliged  to  accept  the  services  of 
the  former  Chinese  employees,  who  were  the  worst 
class  of  men,  renowned  for  petty  thieving  and  bri- 
bery. The  mountainous  part  of  Formosa  is  occu- 
pied by  wild,  savage  tribes,  which  still  have  not  been 
subjugated  by  Japan.  The  island  is  very  rich  in 
tea,  sugar,  camphor,  fruits,  mineral  ores  and  coal, 


356  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

but  nevertheless  Japan  has  not  yet  succeeded  in  prof- 
iting by  this  wealth,  as  the  revenue  from  Formosa 
from  1896  to  1901  was  33,000,000  yen,  while  the 
expenses  amount  to  116,000,000  yen,  leaving  a defi- 
cit of  83,000,000  yen. 

All  these  expenses,  notwithstanding  the  increase 
in  the  budget,  led  to  a deficit,  which  had  to  be  cov- 
ered by  a loan,  and  new  taxes,  which  were  aug- 
mented to  the  sum  of  40,000,000  yen,  and  amount 
to  33  per  cent,  of  the  income  of  every  Japanese  tax- 
payer, more  than  those  paid  by  other  nations.  In 
England  it  is  only  10  per  cent.,  in  France  15  per 
cent.,  and  in  Italy  18  per  cent. 

On  October  1,  1897,  the  Japanese  Government 
introduced  the  gold  standard,  but  Dumolard,  who 
was  in  Japan  later,  says  he  never  saw,  for  all  that, 
a gold  coin  in  the  country.  Some  Japanese  publi- 
cists complain  of  the  stringency  of  the  money  mar- 
ket, and  the  rise  in  price  on  articles  of  first  necessity, 
but  there  are  foreigners  like  Stead  (“JaPan>  Our 
New  Ally”)  who  see  the  financial  situation  of 
Japan  couleur  dc  rose,  and  consider  the  government 
debt  of  Japan  is  insignificant  (500,000,000  yen), 
that  the  taxes  are  not  heavy,  and  that  Japan  having 
passed  through  this  crisis  (borrowing  from  Eng- 
land) will  go  forward  to  a period  of  prosperity  and 
wealth. 

It  is  true  that  the  Japanese  resources  are  not  defi- 
nitely exhausted,  but  we  must  remember  that  at  best 
the  great  mass  of  the  Japanese  people  are  not  rich, 
which  is  proven  by  the  deposits  made  in  1899  in  the 
savings  banks  by  2,327,627  persons  to  the  amount 
of  30,042,0 72  yen,  or  an  average  of  12  yen  and  91 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  357 

sen  per  person.  At  the  same  time  1,264,604  persons 
deposited  in  the  postal  savings  banks  22,490,918 
yen,  or  17  yen  per  person.  We  know  already  that 
capital  is  scarce  in  Japan  and  the  percentage  charged 
is  more  than  ten  on  a good  guarantee. 

Under  these  circumstances  it  would  have  been 
wiser  for  the  Japanese  financiers  to  have  refrained 
from  unproductive  militarism,  which  in  Japan  ab- 
sorbs 55  per  cent,  of  the  whole  budget,  a large  per- 
centage compared  to  the  17  per  cent,  of  the  United 
States;  Russia,  21  per  cent.;  France,  27  per  cent.; 
Great  Britain,  29  per  cent.,  and  Germany,  43  per 
cent.  And  to  what  end  these  unproductive  expenses 
when  Japan  is  insured  against  attack  by  her  insular 
position  and  a strong  fleet? 


Chapter  XXXII 


Labor  problem. 

In  speaking  of  agriculture  we  have  shown  the  un- 
enviable condition  of  the  farmer,  who  has  to  con- 
tent himself  with  a very  modest  income,  and  there 
are  35,000,000  of  the  farmer  class. 

The  condition  of  the  laborer  is  somewhat  better, 
owing  to  the  sudden  growth  of  manufactures  in 
Japan;  but  also  precarious,  when  we  consider  that 
the  wages  in  the  weaving  industry,  for  instance,  for 
a man  are  only  about  thirteen  cents  a day  and  for 
women  nine  and  a half  cents  a day.  If  we  even  ad- 
mit that  owing  to  the  gold  standard  the  wages  have 
increased  50  per  cent.,  still  the  expense  of  life  has 
increased  at  a proportionate  rate.  The  working  day 
is  from  ten  to  fourteen  hours,  which  is  especially 
hard  on  child  labor.  The  Japanese  press  demands 
with  great  insistence  the  suppression  of  child  labor 
in  Japan,  as  it  ruins  the  health  of  the  future  genera- 
tions of  the  country;  but  these  demands  cannot  be 
complied  with,  as  a large  percentage  of  the  work  is 
done  by  children. 

The  labor  question  in  Japan  can  be  spoken  of  as 
the  woman  question,  as  the  majority  of  the  working 
class  are  women.  Take  for  example  the  weaving 
industry,  which  employs  57,850  men  and  987,016 
women;  the  spinning  industry,  9,650  men  and  34,- 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  359 

14 1 women.  Every  one  who  has  followed  me  in  my 
travels  through  Japan  knows  that  women  work  in 
the  fields  standing  knee  deep  in  the  mud,  planting 
the  rice  or  gathering  tea  leaves,  and  receiving  the 
paltry  sum  of  eight  to  thirteen  cents  a day.  The 
foreigner  who  visits  any  port  will  see  women  loading 
the  ships  with  coal.  This  great  contingent  of 
women  workers  in  Japan  can  easily  be  explained  by 
the  fact  that  they  are  cheaper  than  men.  Women 
are  even  seen  in  coal  mines,  where  they  go  down  the 
mine  and  work  there  with  their  children  on  their 
backs.  The  female  labor  is  of  such  importance  in 
Japan  that  agents  go  about  to  the  different  villages, 
enticing  poor  girls  from  their  homes  with  promises 
of  good  incomes  and  better  lives,  and  they  realize 
only  too  late  what  veritable  slaves  they  are.  In  the 
magazine  called  the  Working  World  there  are  fiery 
attacks  against  factory  dormitories  for  half-grown 
girls,  stating  that  a good  master  would  take  better 
care  of  his  cattle  than  these  owners  of  factories  do 
of  their  working  girls.  The  owners  in  Japan  are 
very  favorably  situated,  as  every  year  there  arises 
a new  contingent  of  workmen  to  the  number  of 
400,000,  and  no  matter  how  rapidly  the  industries 
increase  there  will  not  be  work  for  all  the  wage- 
seekers.  Pauperism  also  is  growing,  and  even  the 
government  had  to  spend  more  than  6,000,000  yen 
to  relieve  the  poorer  classes.  Formerly,  when  life 
was  cheap  and  the  needs  were  fewer,  people  were 
comparatively  happier.  But  now  even  in  Tokyo 
there  are  slums  with  a floating  population  of  40,000. 
incapable  of  paying  fifty  cents  rent  a month,  where 
people  are  teeming  in  inconceivable  filth  and  dirt, 


360  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

paying  for  their  lodgings  from  one  to  two  cents  a 
day. 

Meanwhile,  capitalists  receive  great  dividends  on 
these  houses.  Formerly  strikes  were  unknown  in 
Japan,  but  they  are  frequent  now,  and  even  accom- 
panied by  violence.  For  instance,  the  miners  near 
Nagasaki  killed  the  director  of  the  mine  and  two 
policemen.  The  railroad  employees  on  the  road  to 
Kobe,  when  refused  an  increase  of  wages,  threatened 
to  burn  the  cars. 

Not  long  ago  in  Tokyo  there  was  a labor  meeting 
consisting  of  30,000  laborers.  It  was  conducted 
with  great  order  and  the  following  resolutions  were 
passed : “We  working  people  and  citizens  of  the 

Japanese  Empire,  directed  by  the  Supreme  power 
and  living  under  the  happy  rule  of  His  Majesty  the 
Emperor,  with  sincere  enthusiasm  declare  the  fol- 
lowing: That  the  government,  in  order  to  defend 

the  rights  and  interests  of  the  working  class,  should 
make  laws  for  the  protection  of  women  and  children. 
To  develop  our  industries  we  deem  it  necessary  that 
good  education  be  given  to  the  working  class.” 

Laws  should  be  passed  to  broaden  the  rights  of 
election  to  Parliament. 


PART  FIFTH 


INTERNAL  AND  FOREIGN  POLICY 
Chapter  XXXIII 

The  working  of  the  Constitution — The  leading  men  of  Japan — 
Parties  and  their  aspirations. 

In  spite  of  parliamentarism,  Japan  is  governed  by 
the  leading  men  of  the  great  clans  (Satsuma,  Cho- 
shiu,  Tosa  and  Hizen)  that  succeeded  in  bringing 
into  effect  the  Restoration  of  1868.  Certainly  Par- 
liament modifies  in  a degree  the  policy  of  these  clans. 
The  Marquis  Ito,  after  the  war  with  China,  sought 
an  alliance  of  the  Liberals  to  obtain  the  increase  of 
the  army  and  fleet.  The  same  thing  was  done  by 
Matsukata,  who  sought  the  aid  of  the  Progressists. 
The  Parliament,  with  its  three  hundred  and  sixty 
members,  elected  by  430,000  persons,  cannot  pretend 
to  represent  a nation  of  46,000,000;  and  with  that, 
many  members  of  Parliament  are  not  very  scrupu- 
lous in  their  dealings,  and,  as  the  Japanese  papers 
have  often  stated,  are  amenable  to  bribery,  and  con- 
sider their  positions  a means  of  enriching  themselves. 
Owing  to  these  circumstances  and  to  the  prestige  of 
the  elder  statesmen  and  their  influence  over  their 
clans,  they  are  the  paramount  power  in  the  state.  In 
reality,  Japan,  under  a foreign  garb,  represents  a 
theocracy  in  the  person  of  the  divine  Mikado,  de- 


362  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

scendant  of  the  gods,  and  is  governed  by  the  oli- 
garchy of  the  clans.  Of  the  leading  men,  Marquis  Ito, 
known  as  the  Bismarck  of  Japan,  occupies  the  first 
place.  It  was  he  who,  acceding  to  the  tendencies  of 
the  times,  drew  up  the  Constitution,  and  as  the  head 
of  the  Moderates  brought  the  same  moderation  into 
the  Constitution.  It  has  been  said  that  if  one  wishes 
to  sum  up  Japan  in  one  word,  that  word  would  be 
“Ito.”  He  is  considered  the  most  fortunate  of  Japa- 
nese statesmen,  as  from  a modest  position  he  has 
arisen  to  be  Prime  Minister  and  President  of  the 
Supreme  Council.  From  the  year  669  to  1885  the 
position  of  Prime  Minister  was  considered  the  ex- 
clusive property  of  the  Fijiwara  family,  and  during 
all  that  time  there  were  only  four  exceptions  made, 
in  the  cases  of  Ashikaga,  Yeshimatsu,  Hideyoshi, 
Iyeyasu,  until  Ito. 

A Japanese  paper,  comparing  Ito  with  Okuma, 
says  that  they  are  different,  not  only  in  their  views, 
but  by  the  quality  of  their  intelligence  and  character. 
Ito  is  a savant,  Okuma  is  a man  of  business.  One 
is  a courtier,  the  other  a bureaucrat.  Ito  is  distin- 
guished by  the  vehemence  of  his  intelligence,  by  his 
opportunism,  his  skill  in  the  management  of  the  peo- 
ple and  adaptability  to  circumstances.  Okuma  is  rich 
in  intellectual  resources  and  was  remarkable  for  the 
boldness  of  his  plans  and  his  enterprising  character. 
Nevertheless,  Japanese  public  opinion  recognizes  Ito 
as  the  prime  mover  in  Japanese  politics.  Justly  or 
unjustly,  they  attribute  to  him  the  management  of 
things  behind  the  political  scene.  Fie  is  the  principal 
adviser  of  the  men  of  action  of  the  day.  The  min- 
isters change,  but  at  all  times  the  hand  of  the  talent- 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  363 

ed  Marquis  is  visible.  In  another  Japanese  paper  it 
is  said  that  Satsuma’s  clan  reproach  Ito  with  lack 
of  daring,  Choshiu  finds  that  he  does  too  little  for  his 
clan,  Tosa  dubs  him  a despot,  and  the  bigoted  Shin- 
toists  call  him  the  champion  of  freedom.  But  Ito 
has  numberless  friends  among  the  aristocracy  and 
senators,  in  the  army  and  the  navy;  he  is  respected 
both  by  the  savants  and  the  nobility. 

“Ito,”  says  a Frenchman,  “knows  how  to  profit 
by  a victory  and  bears  no  rancor  toward  his  ene- 
mies.” Supple  and  adroit,  he  with  a knowing  hand 
conducts  the  court  and  the  government  affairs. 
Without  broad  ideas  and  without  narrow  prejudices 
he  seems  to  be  created  by  fate  for  the  government 
of  a country  in  which  one  must  treat  gently  the 
dying-out  traditions  and  at  the  same  time  flatter  the 
growing  appetites. 

Count  Okuma,  the  founder  of  the  Kai  Shinto 
party,  rose  like  Ito  from  a lower  strata  of  society. 
By  his  ideas  he  can  be  called  the  most  advanced 
Japanese  politician,  yet  with  this  he  has  remained 
a typical  Japanese.  Never  having  been  abroad,  and 
seeking  to  forget  the  few  Dutch  words  he  knew  in 
his  youth,  he  early  understood  the  power  of  money 
and  by  clever  speculations  amassed  a great  fortune. 
He  lives  on  a great  scale  in  Waseda  (near  Tokyo), 
and  near  his  castle  is  the  college  of  one  thousand 
students,  founded  by  him.  At  one  time,  when  he 
was  seeking  quiet,  he  devoted  himself  to  charitable 
works  and  supporting  schools,  and  having  received 
the  title  of  count  he  presented  to  his  college  30,000 
yen.  which  were  given  to  him  by  the  government 
with  the  patent  of  count. 


364  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

Returning  to  power  in  1889,  after  the  failure  of 
Count  Inouye  in  the  revision  of  treaties,  he  took  the 
matter  in  hand  with  great  skill  and  ability. 

Russia,  Germany,  and  the  United  States  had  al- 
ready concluded  new  treaties  on  a new  basis,  and  it 
was  to  be  expected  that  the  consular  jurisdiction,  so 
hateful  to  the  Japanese,  would  be  a thing  of  the 
past,  when  suddenly  opposition  arose  where  it  was 
least  expected.  Old,  conservative  Japan  raised  its 
voice.  The  Japanese  were  frightened  at  the  influx 
of  foreign  capital  and  foreign  competition,  and  as  it 
always  happens  in  Japan,  there  was  a man  at  hand 
fanatical  enough  to  throw  a bomb  into  the  carriage 
of  the  minister.  Kirishima  Tsuneki,  after  this  act, 
committed  suicide,  while  Okuma  was  obliged  to 
have  his  leg  amputated  and  for  a time  retired  from 
public  activity. 

It  is  said  of  him  that  immediately  after  his  acci- 
dent, as  he  lay  with  his  leg  shattered,  he  said  to  a 
foreign  diplomat,  “You  will  excuse  me  that  I do  not 
accompany  you  to  the  door.” 

The  fate  of  the  Japanese  statesman  is  not  enviable. 
In  the  last  twenty-five  years  we  have  a whole  succes- 
sion of  attempts  on  the  lives  of  Japanese  statesmen 
(Iwakura,  Okubo,  Mori,  Okuma,  Itagaki,  etc.). 
Itagaki,  the  leader  of  the  Liberal  party,  was  more 
fortunate  than  the  rest.  In  1880  a man  named 
Aibara,  considering  him  a traitor  to  his  country, 
attacked  him  with  a sword.  Luckily  the  wounds 
were  not  serious.  Of  course  Aibara  was  impris- 
oned for  life.  After  several  intercessions  on  the  part 
of  Itagaki  himself,  and  an  imprisonment  of  seven 
years,  he  was  given  his  liberty.  The  first  thing  he 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  365 

did  was  to  go  to  Itagaki,  ask  his  pardon,  and  tell 
him  how  he  repented  of  his  act.  Itagaki  answered 
him  thus : “I  do  not  doubt  that  the  great  motives 
of  your  act  were  loyalty  to  and  love  for  your  coun- 
try and  I admire  these  qualities.  You  certainly  no 
longer  doubt  my  patriotism  and  I believe  this  so 
firmly  that  I give  you  the  right  to  take  my  life  if 
you  ever  suspect  me  of  betraying  my  country.” 

These  words  of  Itagaki  raised  a terrible  storm  in 
the  press,  as  many  saw  in  them  the  approval  of  polit- 
ical murder  and  a dangerous  preaching  for  the 
soshi  who  so  easily  resort  to  violence.  But  judging 
from  the  way  Itagaki  had  spoken  against  the  soshi, 
one  could  not  call  him  a partisan  of  violent 
measures. 

Goto,  who  at  the  same  time  with  his  comrade 
was  created  a count,  has  the  same  opinions  as  Ita- 
gaki. The  Shinto  party  created  by  Count  Itagaki, 
as  he  himself  admits,  did  not  answer  the  demands 
of  the  times,  and  was  dissolved,  part  of  it  going  over 
to  the  Daido-dankezu,  organized  by  Goto,  which 
was  more  successful,  and  occupied  a certain  place 
in  Parliament.  Goto,  who  was  formerly  loud  in 
his  blame  of  the  government,  as  soon  as  the  oppor- 
tunity offered  for  him  to  take  part  in  the  formation 
of  the  cabinet,  like  a true  opportunist,  threw  off 
his  former  extreme  ideas.  His  followers  blamed 
such  apostasy,  but  Count  Itagaki  defended  his  friend 
publicly,  declaring  that  opposition  is  fruitless  and 
that  one  must  adapt  oneself  to  the  demands  of  the 
times.  Count  Inouye  acts  in  quite  another  spirit. 
According  to  the  Japanese  press  he  is  endowed  with 
sharp  intellect  and  has  a fearless  and  chevalresque 


366  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

character.  Nevertheless,  in  spite  of  his  talents  he 
does  not  enjoy  the  confidence  of  the  public.  He  has 
many  friends,  but  also  many  enemies.  He  works  at 
every  new  enterprise  with  great  ardor,  which  soon 
cools  off.  Nervous  and  impressionable,  he  cannot 
boast  of  the  success  of  his  friend  Ito.  The  revision 
of  treaties  taken  up  by  him  was  a failure  and  he  had 
to  retire  to  private  life.  In  comparison  with  the 
conservatism  of  Ito  one  could  call  him  a radical. 
He  worked  especially  for  the  material  welfare  of 
the  country,  and  in  the  question  of  the  revision  of 
treaties  he  strove  principally  to  attract  foreign  capi- 
tal into  Japan.  Count  Kuroda,  in  comparison  with 
the  small  and  delicate  Ito,  can  be  called  an  athlete. 
He  really  is  a strong  and  muscular  man,  and  it  is 
said  that  he  enjoys  wrestling  with  professional  wres- 
tlers. Passionate  and  fiery,  he  gives  way  easily  to 
fits  of  rage.  Born  in  Kagoshima  he  was  formerly 
but  a poor  samurai,  receiving  four  kokus  of  rice. 
In  spite  of  his  poor  circumstances  he  put  by  some- 
thing for  a rainy  day.  Before  the  Restoration  the 
Satsuma  clan  wished  to  make  an  alliance  with  the 
Choshiu,  and  old  Sago  proposed  to  Kuroda  to  go  to 
Kido  and  make  with  him  an  agreement  for  the  future. 
Knowing  the  modest  means  of  Kuroda,  Saigo  pro- 
posed to  give  him  money  for  his  expenses,  but  Ku- 
roda, proudly  drawing  five  gold  pieces  out  of  his 
breast,  said,  “Having  a presentiment  of  the  future, 
I saved  this  money.”  “You  are  marked  for  success 
in  life,”  said  Saigo,  and  he  was  right.  Kuroda 
was  created  a count  and  was  minister  several  times. 
Besides  the  circumspect  Ito,  the  knightly,  audacious 
Okuma,  and  the  noble  Itagaki  he  played  a secondary 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  367 

role.  The  public  talks  of  his  colossal  physical 
strength,  which  he  likes  to  show  to  foreigners. 
They  tell  about  his  bursts  of  passion  and  quite  over- 
look his  serious  intellectual  qualities. 

We  will  mention,  in  passing,  among  Japanese 
leading  men,  the  Field  Marshal  Marquis  Yamagata, 
who  has  played  such  a prominent  role  as  a soldier, 
and  the  Minister  of  War  and  Field  Marshal  Count 
Oyama,  who  captured  Port  Arthur  and  Wei-hai-wci 
during  the  Chinese  war. 

Quite  another  position  is  occupied  by  Fukusawa. 
He  is  not  a statesman  nor  a politician,  but  a philos- 
opher and  a teacher  of  the  young-  generation.  He 
keeps  aloof  from  all  political  parties,  wants  no  offi- 
cial position,  and  does  not  seek  to  form  a party. 
Nevertheless,  thousands  of  intelligent  people  await 
impatiently  his  opinion  on  political  questions  and 
listen  to  him  as  to  a prophet.  The  daily  political 
struggle  is  not  his  affair,  but  he  turns  the  attention  of 
his  followers  to  political  and  social  questions,  and  if 
one  can  make  the  comparison,  he  is  the  Japanese 
Socrates. 

Long  before  the  Restoration,  Fukusaw’a  founded 
a school  and  published  many  books  on  popular  edu- 
cation and  on  European  civilization.  Now  his  col- 
lege has  one  thousand  students  and  a kindergarten 
is  connected  with  it.  There  are  special  courses  in 
literature,  jurisprudence,  and  political  economy. 
Out  of  his  school  have  graduated  men  now  active  in 
politics,  ministers,  presidents  of  banks  and  commer- 
cial companies.  Students  flock  from  all  parts  of 
the  country  and  greedily  listen  to  his  teachings. 


368  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

Not  long  ago  he  published  an  article  on  parliament- 
ism  in  Japan. 

The  revolution  of  1868  was,  according  to  his 
opinion,  the  consequence  of  the  restricted  means  of 
the  higher  warrior  class;  and  according  to  him, 
sooner  or  later  feudalism  must  have  fallen.  People 
of  the  middle  class  and  samurai  of  the  lower  ranks 
destroyed  the  old  regime  and  demanded  representa- 
tive institutions,  but  they  saw  that  they  could  not  do 
without  the  lower  classes,  who  were  indifferent  to 
parliamentarism.  In  his  opinion  the  old  warrior 
class  will  dominate  in  the  first  Parliament;  more 
clearly,  the  Shizoku  or  samurai,  and  not  the  agri- 
cultural, manufacturing,  or  trade  interests.  Soon, 
however,  plutocracy  will  take  the  first  place  and 
drive  the  warrior  class  from  its  position  and  will 
speak  with  a loud  voice  in  the  national  council.  But 
all  this  will  proceed  peacefully  and  calmly.  Obedi- 
ence, respect  for  the  laws,  and  the  loyalty  of  the 
people  will  uphold  the  country  under  all  circum- 
stances. 

Now  let  us  turn  from  the  ruling  men  of  Japan  to 
the  political  parties.  It  would  have  been  more  natu- 
ral to  begin  with  the  parties  and  go  over  to  the 
statesmen,  but  Japanese  parliamentarism  is  so  recent 
that  the  parties  cannot  be  said  to  exist  by  themselves, 
but  only  by  the  initiative  of  their  leaders.  With  the 
disappearance  of  the  leader  of  a party  it  falls  to 
pieces.  For  instance,  the  party  of  jiuto,  or  radicals, 
represented  by  Itagaki,  existed  for  ten  years  and  now 
has  disappeared.  The  same  fate  befell  the  party  of 
Count  Goto,  the  “daido  danketsu,”  or  the  united 
party. 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  369 

Before  the  opening  of  Parliament  there  existed 
fifteen  different  parties,  of  which  the  principal  are 
the  following:  ist.  Liberal  party,  with  Count 

Okuma  at  its  head ; 2d.  Daido,  which  considers  Goto 
indirectly  as  its  head ; 3d.  Aikoku,  or  the  patriotic 
party,  organized  by  Count  Itagaki.  This  party  dif- 
fers in  nothing  from  the  Daido.  4th.  Imperial  Radi- 
cal party;  5th.  Radical  party  of  the  group  Kwansei; 
6th.  Conservative  party,  organized  by  General 
Lieutenant  Torio,  having  very  few  followers. 

Since  the  convening  of  Parliament  this  has  all 
changed,  and  parties  are  created  and  broken  up  very 
quickly.  No  one  expected  that  the  Rikken  Jiuto 
party  (constitutional  liberals)  would  have  a hun- 
dred and  thirty  voices  and  the  Progressive  party  re- 
main with  forty. 

But  most  of  the  parties  are  in  formation,  “im 
werden,”  as  the  Germans  say,  and  to  state  the  dis- 
tinguishing characteristics  of  one  or  the  other  is 
still  premature.  One  thing  can  be  said,  that  in  the 
first  Parliament  there  were  only  ten  Conservatives 
and  that  radicalism  dominated  the  other  parties ; but 
among  the  Radicals  themselves  there  is  no  unity  and 
they  frequently  split  into  groups,  acting  one  against 
the  other  when  the  vote  is  taken.  Even  Count  Ita- 
gaki thought  it  necessary  to  separate  from  them ; 
and  explained  his  step  in  the  following  manner : 
“The  aim  of  our  party  is  the  propagation  of  liberal 
ideas  and  parliamentary  institutions.  The  consti- 
tutional forms  demand  a cabinet  responsible  to  the 
House  representing  the  majority  of  it.  It  was  to 
this  end  that  I worked  in  organizing  the  Aikoku  to 
(patriotic)  party,  and  afterwards  I united  all  my 


370  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

partisans  to  the  Rikken  Jiuto  party.  As  soon  as  our 
party  appeared  in  the  house,  dissensions  began  which 
nearly  led  to  its  dissolution.  I could  not  be  a calm 
spectator  of  this  situation  and  with  all  my  strength 
sought  to  reconcile  the  opponents.  1 thought  I had 
succeeded  for  a while,  but  it  did  not  last  long  and 
we  are  on  the  eve  of  going  asunder  again.  In  view 
of  this,  I who  never  sought  glory,  nor  riches,  and 
only  struggled  for  the  good  of  the  country,  severed 
my  connection  with  the  party.”  The  term  “radical” 
has  not  the  same  signification  as  in  European  poli- 
tics, and  does  not  even  demand  universal  suffrage; 
and  Itagaki  himself,  who  created  the  party,  fearing 
plutocracy,  combines  on  many  occasions  with  the 
leader  of  the  Conservatives,  Torio. 

In  his  speech  in  Sendai,  which  was  his  profession 
“de  foi,”  Itagaki  showed  clearly  how  Japanese  radi- 
cals regard  European  civilization.  Admitting  that 
Japan  is  on  a lower  scale  of  civilization  than  Europe, 
he  says  that:  , 

“Japan  has  the  great  advantage  of  being  able  to 
profit  by  the  experience  of  Europe.  Experiments 
in  Europe  have  been  many,  and  their  results  have 
been  written  in  the  ‘pages  of  history.’  The  funda- 
mental study  of  them  will  be  of  great  advantage  to 
us.  Nevertheless,  I consider  the  European  system 
of  government  entirely  false.  I say  this,  as  their 
political  organization  was  accomplished  in  revolu- 
tionary times  and  was  principally  founded  on  the 
predominance  of  riches  and  knowledge  over  pov- 
erty and  ignorance. 

“We  have  a visible  result  in  the  French  Revolu- 
tion. The  French  Government  led  to  this  revolution 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  371 

by  concentrating  the  power  in  the  hands  of  the 
nobility  and  clergy,  who  were  at  liberty  to  oppress 
the  people. 

“What  was  the  final  result  ? 

“We  finally  see  the  oppression  of  the  nobles  and 
clergy,  by  which  a death-blow  was  given  to  the  war- 
rior class,  and  despotism  of  money  took  its  place. 
With  the  development  of  civilization  one  would  ex- 
pect the  development  of  universal  prosperity  and 
happiness,  but  in  reality  the  farmer  sinks  deeper  and 
deeper  into  the  gulf  of  poverty.  With  the  increase 
of  knowledge,  augments  the  invention  of  machinery, 
which  does  away  more  and  more  with  hand  labor. 
The  result  is  the  excessive  offer  of  labor.  Our  popu- 
lation increases  yearly  four  hundred  thousand.  In 
Europe  the  seeds  of  the  coming  revolution  are  visi- 
ble in  frequent  strikes.  The  government  does  all  in 
its  power  to  stave  off  the  calamity,  nevertheless  it 
supports  the  rich,  as  the  French  Government  sup- 
ported the  nobility  and  the  clergy. 

“A  catastrophe  might  be  expected  if  it  were  not 
for  the  colonies.  What ! do  I hear  that  the  Pope 
intercedes  for  the  poor?  If  this  is  so,  this  mixing 
of  politics  with  religion  will  lead  to  a revolution. 
Socialism  in  Europe  is  the  result  of  the  defect  of 
administration.  I am  not  in  favor  of  socialism,  but 
if  a rich  man  seeing  a poor  man,  instead  of  helping 
him,  tries  to  profit  by  his  poverty,  I cannot  blame 
those  who  are  against  such  cruelty. 

“Let  us  turn  our  attention  to  our  own  country. 
Happily  such  cruelty  does  not  exist  with  us,  there 
is  not  that  lack  of  moral  sense  with  us.  In  the  time 
of  our  revolution  the  daimios  relinquished  their 


372 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


rights,  the  samurai  became  equals  of  the  common 
people.  We  freed  ourselves  from  the  arbitrary,  and 
the  rich  must  not  oppress  our  poor.  We  have  freed 
ourselves  of  the  fighting  feudalism,  we  must  not 
introduce  to  our  country  money  feudalism.  If  the 
nation  disappears  what  will  the  rich  people  do? 
[Great  applause.]  We  are  not  partisans  of  com- 
munism. We  do  not  ask  of  the  rich  that  they  divide 
their  property  among  the  poor.” 

After  that  he  advises  the  union  of  the  rich  and 
the  poor  for  the  promotion  of  general  welfare. 

This  is  the  vague  program  of  a Japanese  radical. 
We  see  that  he  critically  reviews  the  results  of  Euro- 
pean civilization  and  advises  the  Japanese  to  go  their 
own  way.  But  what  this  way  is  we  cannot  see 
clearly  from  his  program.  We  must  admit  that 
after  the  enthusiasm  for  all  that  was  European  there 
came  a reaction  toward  nationalism  in  Japan.  Some 
of  the  Nationalists  joined  the  Radicals,  others  the 
Conservatives. 

What,  in  reality,  do  the  Japanese  Conservatives 
want?  Viscount  Torio  blames  all  that  has  been 
done  by  the  Japanese  from  the  beginning  of  the 
Restoration,  and  his  principal  attacks  are  directed 
against  European  civilization. 

‘The  governments  of  the  East,”  he  says,  “from 
time  immemorial  were  founded  on  benevolence. 
In  the  West  [in  Europe]  the  happiness  of  the  few 
is  bought  at  the  price  of  the  suffering  of  thousands, 
who  are  obliged  to  drag  out  their  lives  in  privations. 
Civilization,  according  to  the  opinions  of  western- 
ers, serves  only  to  satisfy  the  great  wants  of 
humanity. 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  373 

“From  such  formulas  what  can  the  majority  of 
our  population  receive,  living  as  they  do  on  the 
results  of  hand  labor,  and  gaining  with  difficulty 
ten  cents  a day?  What  was  their  sin?  That  their 
wishes  and  wants  cannot  be  satisfied?  What  does 
this  much-praised  civilization  give  us?  European 
civilization  will  act  ruinously  on  the  Japanese  state 
organization,  which  is  founded  on  a steady  Imperial 
power,  and  our  old  beliefs.  People  having  eyes  can 
see  clearly  that  this  western  system  acts  disastrously 
on  the  order  and  the  peace  of  the  country.  The 
future  of  Japan  awakens  our  fears;  the  system  in 
which  the  ethics  and  religion  only  serve  personal 
ambition  certainly  is  in  accord  with  the  individual 
aspirations  of  people,  and  a theory  proclaiming 
equality  and  liberty  destroys  the  established  social 
relations  like  flame  destroys  dry  leaves.  Liberty 
and  equality  are  unattainable,  but  they  have  changed 
the  organization  of  society,  destroying  the  former 
social  differences,  leading  the  people  to  one  level. 
Look  at  America.  The  citizens  praise  it  as  the  land  of 
liberty  and  equality,  but  the  people  there  are  divided 
according  to  wealth  into  different  classes,  and  there 
reigns  the  principle  that  in  money  lies  the  highest 
right. 

“The  application  of  these  principles  to  Japan  will 
change  the  good  and  peaceful  customs  of  our  people, 
making  them  heartless  and  unfeeling,  and  in  the  end 
bring  about  the  unhappiness  of  the  masses.  Prog- 
ress in  this  sense  leads  to  strikes,  demonstrations, 
and  other  disorders,  and  the  inevitable  result  of  this 
will  be  that  the  hearts  of  people  will  be  filled  with 
enmity,  envy,  and  suspicion.  Thus,  although  west- 


374  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

ern  civilization  presents  itself  in  the  beginning  in  an 
attractive  light,  it  serves  to  satisfy  the  ambitious 
passions  and  leads  in  the  end  to  demoralization  and 
disappointment.  The  conditions  in  which  the  West 
lives  were  created  through  the  struggle  for  life, 
which  in  reality  is  struggle  for  wealth  and  power.” 

Giving  its  due  to  western  civilization,  he  finds 
that  the  principles  have  led  to  the  complete  disor- 
ganization of  Japan,  which  up  to  the  time  of  their 
adoption  lived  under  entirely  different  ethics.  After 
this  he  enumerates  the  evils  which  western  civiliza- 
tion has  brought  to  Japan.  “Selfish  instincts  occupy 
already  the  first  place,  the  state  morality  is  trampled 
in  the  mud ; in  the  government  circles  violence,  envy, 
and  suspicion  reign.” 

As  we  see,  the  Conservative  Torio  and  the  Radi- 
cal Itagaki  are  united  in  their  fear  of  western 
principles. 

We  will  not  try  to  decide  the  question  of  how  a 
return  to  the  former  regime  is  possible,  but  will 
point  out  the  fact  that  the  ideas  of  Viscount  Torio 
respond  to  the  national  movement,  which  embraces 
Japanese  society  lately.  The  hatred  of  the  foreigner 
for  many  Japanese  is  an  unchangeable  dogma.  Not 
long  ago  one  paper  blamed  the  people  for  calling 
foreigners  “red-haired  barbarians,  blue-eyed  mon- 
sters,” etc.,  which  are  very  popular  epithets  among 
the  great  majority  of  the  Japanese.  There  are 
papers  which  openly  preach  a campaign  against  for- 
eigners and  missionaries,  and  these  papers  are  read 
by  a numerous  public.  The  reaction  against  for- 
eigners is  not  yet  sustained  by  the  leading  circles 
and  the  government. 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  375 

The  Japanese  themselves  recognize  that  Europe 
and  America  are  too  strong,  and  such  measures  as 
were  used  in  the  time  of  Iyeyasu  are  not  to  be 
thought  of  now;  but  for  all  that,  this  hatred  of  the 
foreigner  is  not  without  significance,  and  like  an 
undercurrent  must  be  considered  in  judging  of 
Japanese  politics.  There  is  still  another  force  which 
must  be  taken  into  consideration.  It  is  the  new 
Japanese  politician,  created  by  parliamentarism,  and 
not  yet  very  influential.  With  a little  amount  of 
learning  this  young  Japanese  politician  is  coarse, 
vain,  self-opinionated,  with  a great  confidence  in 
his  own  ability.  He  soon  saw  that  he  could  not  rise 
to  power,  as  the  clans  have  the  monopoly  of  every- 
thing, and  he  easily  joined  the  opposition.  One 
foresees  already  the  future  struggle  of  the  ambi- 
tious democracy  with  the  powerful  oligarchy,  and 
meanwhile  the  positions  of  the  old  feudal  lords  are 
gradually  being  taken  by  the  lords  of  finance.  A 
great  scourge  of  Japanese  politics  are  the  soshi,  re- 
cruited in  the  bohemian  quarters  of  the  great  cities. 
These  brawlers  are  always  ready  for  a fight  or  to 
attack  the  foreigner  who  is  not  in  the  good  graces 
of  young  Japan.  They  are  terrible  jingoes,  always 
ready  to  make  a meal  of  the  European  powers,  and 
their  fruitless  agitation  is  a constant  danger  to  the 
state.  Up  to  the  present  time  the  elder  statesmen, 
or  so-called  Genro,  who  brought  about  the  revolu- 
tion of  1868,  have  prestige  and  influence,  but  they 
are  not  immortal.  The  time  will  come  when,  instead 
of  the  reigning  Emperor, — who  already  is  no  longer 
looked  upon  by  young  Japan  as  the  descendant  of 


376 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


the  gods,  but  who  nevertheless  has  a great  prestige, 
— will  reign  Prince  Haru-no-miya,  who  has  no 
prestige  whatever  at  present  and  is  entirely  unac- 
quainted with  the  affairs  of  state.  Will  he  be  strong 
enough  to  stem  the  demagogical  current  which 
forebodes  no  good  to  Japan? 


Chapter  XXXIV 


Foreign  policy — War  with  China — Revision  of  treaties — What 
did  the  new  treaties  give  to  the  foreigners? — Korean 
events — Boxer  troubles — War  with  Russia  and  its  conse- 
quences. 

The  apparition  of  the  foreigners  demanding  by 
force  to  be  admitted  to  Japan  placed  her  in  the  diffi- 
cult dilemma  of  choosing  between  submitting  eter- 
nally to  tbe  caprices  of  the  Powers  and  playing  a 
secondary  role,  or  of  rising  to  their  level  and  fight- 
ing them  with  their  own  arms.  Thus  in  Japan 
began  to  ripen  the  idea,  not  only  of  borrowing  from 
European  civilization  all  of  which  she  is  most  proud, 
but  principally  of  reorganizing  her  army  and  navy 
on  new  European  lines.  The  logical  consequence 
of  this  trend  of  thought  was  the  return  to  the  former 
aspirations  of  grasping  Korea  and  China, — to  the 
dream  of  Hideyoshi, — and  for  this  inevitable  war  the 
Japanese  prepared  themselves  during  a long  period 
and  studied  the  situation  fundamentally.  Japanese 
officers  of  the  general  staff,  as  well  as  other  Japan- 
ese disguised  as  barbers,  as  coolies,  small  traders, 
and  boys  at  hotels,  overran  China  and  Korea  in  all 
directions,  and  naturally  all  these  spies  were  invalu- 
able at  the  moment  when  Japan  was  ready  to  declare 
war  against  China. 

The  first  aim  of  her  foreign  politics  was  to  estab- 
lish herself  firmly  in  Korea,  which  was  a vassal  of 
China  and  had  remained  stationary  from  the  time 


378  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

of  Hideyoshi.  Petty  intrigue  began  between  the 
adherents  of  Chinese  and  Japanese  parties  upon  the 
occasion  of  the  rising  of  the  Tongaks.  The  uprising 
spread  quickly,  until  the  King  was  not  safe  in 
Seoul,  and  called  upon  China  for  protection.  When 
China  sent  her  troops  to  quell  the  disturbance,  Japan 
considered  that  she  had  a right  to  do  the  same, 
although  the  Chinese  contemptuously  refused  this 
joint  occupation,  on  the  plea  of  the  sovereign  rights 
of  China  over  Korea.  Japan  answered  by  landing 
her  troops,  under  the  pretense  of  defending  her  lega- 
tion at  Seoul,  and  demanded  the  recall  of  the  Chinese 
representative  and  the  protectorate  over  Korea. 
This  led  to  open  hostilities,  and  war  was  declared 
between  Japan  and  China  on  August  i,  1894. 

This  war  was  only  a pretense  of  the  imperialistic 
policy  of  Japan,  whose  aggression  was  unprovoked 
by  China.  This  is  also  the  opinion  of  C.  A.  W. 
Pownall,  who  has  lived  long  in  Japan,  and  who  has 
published  a very  able  article  in  the  Nineteenth  Cen- 
tury. He  says  that  the  Japanese  were  forming  this 
project  of  the  invasion  of  China  a long  time,  and 
that  it  is  false  that  China  provoked  the  war  in  1894. 
On  the  contrary,  he  declared  it  to  be  a ripened  and 
carefully  prepared  invasion  with  the  object  to  obtain 
a supremacy  over  the  millions  of  Chinese. 

We  all  know  how  the  war  ended  with  a complete 
fiasco  for  China.  The  conditions  of  peace  dictated 
by  Japan  to  China  were  the  following:  1st,  recog- 

nition by  China  of  the  independence  of  Korea;  2d, 
the  cession  to  Japan  of  the  islands  of  Formosa  and 
Pescadores  and  also  of  the  Liaotung  Peninsula;  3d, 
the  payment  of  400,000,000  yen  war  indemnity; 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  379 

4th,  the  opening  of  three  new  ports  to  Japanese 
commerce;  5th,  the  occupation  of  Wei-hai-wei  until 
the  payment  of  the  war  indemnity.  Six  days  after 
the  signing  of  the  treaty  a joint  protest  was  made 
in  Pekin  by  the  French,  German,  and  Russian  gov- 
ernments against  the  cession  of  the  Liaotung  Penin- 
sula, on  the  ground  that  its  retention  by  Japan  was  a 
permanent  threat  to  China  and  Korea  and  a danger 
to  the  peace  of  the  Far  East. 

And  so  it  was;  for  the  Japanese  considered  their 
possession  of  Liaotung  as  the  first  etape  in  their 
conquest  of  China,  which  would  only  be  a question 
of  time  and  the  ambitious  dream  of  Hideyoshi  would 
be  realized. 

The  victorious  war  with  China  lifted  the  prestige 
of  Japan  in  the  eyes  of  all  the  world.  There  re- 
mained still  a grinding  trial  for  Japan.  It  was  the 
consular  jurisdiction.  To  explain  matters,  we  will 
say  that  the  first  treaties  concluded  by  Japan  with 
the  other  powers  were  made  under  compulsion,  forc- 
ing  Japan  to  admit  consular  jurisdiction.  This  was 
always  felt  by  Japan  to  be  derogatory  to  her  inde- 
pendence, and  all  her  statesmen  sought  by  every 
means  to  remove  this  thorn  from  her  side.  But  to 
wipe  out  this  article,  which  placed  Japan  on  a level 
with  the  other  Asiatic  countries,  she  was  obliged  to 
give  Europe  and  America  certain  guarantees,  that 
with  the  abrogation  of  the  consular  jurisdiction  the 
interests  of  their  subjects  would  be  safeguarded 
under  Japanese  law.  In  the  beginning  the  Powers 
were  only  content  with  an  International  Supreme 
Court,  like  in  Egypt,  with  European  and  American 
judges  as  members  of  this  court.  As  time  went  on 


380  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

the  demands  of  Europe  became  more  moderate  and 
Count  Okuma  was  fortunate  enough  to  come  to  an 
understanding  with  the  foreign  diplomats.  It  was 
conceded  that  European  judges  should  be  named  as 
members  of  the  Japanese  Supreme  Court.  This 
concession,  however,  as  we  know,  led  to  the  catas- 
trophe which  befell  Count  Okuma. 

In  1890  Viscount  Aoki  began  negotiations  for 
opening  the  whole  country  to  foreigners  and  for  the 
abolition  of  the  consular  jurisdiction.  This  time 
there  was  no  longer  question  of  European  advisers 
or  of  any  limitation  to  Japanese  justice.  Profiting 
by  the  rivalry  of  foreign  powers,  Japan  won  a bril- 
liant diplomatic  victory.  England  was  the  first  to 
make  a treaty  abolishing  consular  jurisdiction 
(1894)  ; after  her  followed  the  United  States  and 
Russia  in  1895,  then  Germany  in  1896,  and  France 
and  Austria  in  1898. 

What  did  the  new  treaties  give  to  the  foreigners? 
The  right  to  travel  in  the  country.  Formerly  the 
foreigners  were  only  allowed  in  the  open  ports,  a 
special  permission  from  the  government  being  neces- 
sary every  time  a trip  was  made  outside  of  the  treaty 
ports.  The  right  of  recourse  to  Japanese  courts. 
Religious  freedom  and  exemption  from  military 
service  and  enforced  taxes.  They  can  trade,  manu- 
facture, form  companies,  rent  the  surface  territory 
for  the  purpose  of  building,  but  they  cannot  own 
property  or  mines. 

It  was  really  a diplomatic  victory  to  get  rid  of 
consular  jurisdiction  and  with  that  deprive  the  for- 
eigners of  such  rights  as  they  themselves  enjoy  in 
all  parts  of  the  world. 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  381 

After  the  war  with  China  was  finished,  Korea  was 
freed  from  Chinese  tutelage,  only  to  fall  under  the 
rod  of  the  Japanese,  who  became  very  obnoxious  to 
the  natives.  At  the  head  of  the  national  Korean 
party  was  the  energetic,  intelligent  queen,  and  in 
order  to  rid  themselves  of  her,  the  Japanese  attempted 
a coup  d’etat.  A rabble,  under  the  leadership  of  the 
Japanese  Minister,  Viscount  Miura,  and  his  aco- 
lytes,— as  was  brought  to  light  by  the  trial  in  Hiro- 
shima,— forced  an  entrance  into  the  palace  and 
butchered  the  queen  and  her  ladies-in-waiting,  pour- 
ing oil  on  their  bodies  and  setting  them  on  fire. 
The  King  was  virtually  held  a prisoner  until  he 
escaped  in  a woman’s  litter  to  the  Russian  Legation. 

This  violence  on  the  part  of  Japan  in  Seoul  gave 
no  other  results  than  that  Korea  sought  protection 
of  the  Russians  from  Japanese  encroachments. 

What  right  had  Japan  to  Korea?  Certainly 
no  more  rights  than  England  has  to  France  or  vice 
versa.  From  the  earliest  times  Japan  has  made  in- 
vasions into  Korea,  and  was  always  beaten  back  by 
the  Koreans,  alone,  or  with  the  aid  of  the  Chinese. 
The  Japanese  are  convinced  that  the  possession  of 
Korea  is  necessary  to  their  welfare.  England  might 
with  the  same  propriety  find  it  necessary  to  possess 
northern  France  merely  because  it  is  across  the 
Channel.  Certainly  Korea  with  her  12,000,000 
inhabitants  and  with  her  antiquated  armament  is  no 
match  for  the  Japan  of  to-day,  and  so  she  looked 
to  Russia  for  protection.  This  is  the  fault  of  the 
Japanese,  as  they  show  themselves  arrogant,  arbi- 
trary, and  violent  with  the  Koreans.  This  is  certi- 
fied to  by  no  less  a personage  than  the  Count  Inouye, 


382 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


the  Japanese  Minister  in  Seoul,  who  says  that  the 
“Japanese  in  Korea  seek  only  to  enrich  themselves; 
are  violent,  and  treat  the  Koreans  like  masters 
would  their  slaves.  And  with  that  they  are  not 
honest  in  their  dealings.” 

Two  years  and  a half  after  the  conclusion  of  the 
war,  two  Germans  were  murdered  in  the  province  of 
Shantung,  and  to  avenge  this  outrage  a German 
squadron  anchored  in  the  harbor  of  Kiaochau,  and 
took  the  town,  demanding  the  cession  of  Kiaochau 
to  Germany,  which  was  granted  by  the  Chinese. 
Russia,  finding  that  the  obtaining  of  a naval  base  by 
Germany  in  north  China  disturbed  the  balance  of 
power,  occupied  Port  Arthur,  with  the  consent  of 
the  Chinese  Government,  in  December,  1897,  while 
the  English  took  Wei-hai-wei. 

The  leasing  of  Port  Arthur  gave  an  outlet  to  the 
sea  to  the  vast  possessions  of  Russia  in  Asia.  “Port 
Arthur,”  says  an  American  writer,  “was  in  no  way 
essential  to  China  or  Japan,  both  countries  being 
rich  in  open  ports,  and  on  the  other  hand  it  was 
indispensable  as  the  terminus  of  the  Siberian  rail- 
way, which  had  cost  the  Russian  Government  more 
than  $300,000,000.”  “This  acquisition,”  as  Captain 
Winthrop  Dayton  remarks,  “was  also  very  profit- 
able to  the  development  of  Manchuria,  which  is  cov- 
ered by  well  planned  and  strongly  built  towns,  where 
before  were  huddled  only  Chinese  hovels.  Con- 
tented, prosperous,  happy  dwellers  live  in  the  towns, 
and  on  the  farms  Chinese  and  Russians,  alike  having 
justice  regularly  administered.” 

Then  began  the  Boxer  movement  in  China,  and 
the  brunt  of  the  movement  was  felt  by  Russia.  Her 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  383 

cities  in  Siberia  were  attacked  by  the  regular  Chi- 
nese troops  and  her  railway  through  Manchuria 
destroyed.  Repulsing  this  unwarranted  attack  by 
the  Chinese,  Russia  took  possession  of  Manchuria, 
making  the  declaration  that  she  would  withdraw 
her  troops  when  there  would  be  no  further  disturb- 
ances endangering  her  railway,  and  if  no  action  of 
another  power  should  prove  an  obstacle  to  such  a 
removal.  At  the  time  this  declaration  was  made 
not  one  of  the  Powers  protested  against  the  occu- 
pation of  Manchuria  by  Russia — not  even  Japan, 
who  had  joined  the  other  powers  in  sending  troops 
to  Pekin.  An  event  of  importance  to  Japan  was  the 
signing  of  the  treaty  of  alliance  with  Great  Britain 
the  30th  of  January,  1902.  This  treaty  gave  great 
prestige  to  Japan,  as  it  was  the  first  time  that  a 
European  power  had  made  a treaty  of  alliance  on 
equal  terms  with  an  Asiatic  country. 

Russia,  with  regard  to  Manchuria,  in  her  inten- 
tion of  withdrawing  her  troops  was  perfectly  sin- 
cere; and  although  there  were  Russian  troops  in 
Manchuria,  the  administration  was  left  in  Chinese 
hands.  In  order  to  prevent  a repetition  of  the 
disasters  which  took  place  during  the  Boxer  upris- 
ing, Russia  demanded  certain  guarantees,  asking 
China  to  sign  an  agreement,  which  China  refused  to 
do.  An  unbiased  writer  on  the  subject  is  Captain 
Winthrop  Dayton,  who  states  the  case  quite  clearly, 
saying:  “Early  in  1903  this  plan  was  so  far  ad- 

vanced that  the  Russian  troops  were  all  withdrawn 
beyond  Mukden,  with  the  exception  of  small  details 
of  railway  guards  and  the  garrison  of  Port  Arthur. 
Immediately  serious  disturbances  broke  out  in  Muk- 


384  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

den,  caused  by  numerous  bands  of  Hunchuses  armed 
with  the  most  modern  rifles.  The  preservation  of 
her  vast  commercial  and  railway  interests  compelled 
the  return  of  Russian  soldiers  to  the  disturbed  dis- 
tricts. The  interesting  question  has  been  raised — 
whence  did  the  Hunchuses  obtain  their  modern  ord- 
nance? Certainly  not  from  either  Russia  or  China. 
Suppose  that  the  United  States  had  invested  $300,- 
000,000  in  Cuba,  and  just  as  the  American  troops 
withdrew  there  had  been  an  outbreak  of  organized 
and  well  armed  bands,  whose  purpose  was  to  destroy 
that  investment,  can  any  American  suppose  that  we 
should  have  adhered  to  that  agreement  to  withdraw, 
under  such  circumstances  ? The  further  withdrawal 
of  troops  was  made  impossible  by  the  manifest  in- 
tention of  Japan  to  again  seize  the  spoil  which  had 
lain  within  her  grasp.  Japanese  agents  have  been 
active  among  the  remnants  of  the  robber  bands 
(Hunchuses),  intriguing  for  the  destruction  of  the 
railway  at  the  first  favorable  opportunity.” 

At  the  same  time  the  misunderstanding  grew  be- 
tween Russia  and  Japan.  The  White  Book,  pub- 
lished by  the  foreign  office  of  Japan,  states  the  then 
pending  negotiations  with  Russia  regarding  Korea 
and  Manchuria  as  follows : Komura,  in  his  instruc- 
tions to  the  representative  of  Japan  in  St.  Peters- 
burg, said  that  the  separate  existence  of  Korea  was 
essential  to  the  peace  and  safety  of  Japan  and  that 
Russia’s  indefinite  occupation  of  Manchuria  inspired 
the  gravest  apprehension  as  to  her  ultimate  intention 
as  regarding  Korea,  and  that  Russia  could  at  any 
moment  take  Korea.  “Korea,”  he  continues,  “is 
the  outer  outpost  in  the  defense  of  Japan.  Japan 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  385 

considers  the  independence  of  Korea  essential  to  her 
safety.”  In  the  same  note  Kornura  instructs  the 
Minister  in  St.  Petersburg  to  propose  to  the  Russian 
Government  an  agreement,  of  which  we  will  speak 
later. 

Before  we  proceed  let  us  see  how  the  occupation 
of  Manchuria  by  Russia  can  endanger  the  existence 
of  Japan.  Is  this  possible?  Is  it  possible  that  Japan 
with  a population  of  46.000.000,  with  a powerful 
fleet,  and  an  army  which  can  be  brought  to  the 
dimensions  of  the  French  army,  and  with  an  insular 
position  which  makes  her  invulnerable,  should  feel 
herself  in  danger  because  Russia  has  an  outlet  in 
Manchuria  ? 

Risum  teneatis  amici! 

When  has  it  occurred  that  an  insular  power  of 
such  force  as  Japan  was  in  danger  of  being  con- 
quered by  a continental  power  ? A genius  like  Napo- 
leon desisted  from  attacking  England,  although  he 
had  one  of  the  most  powerful  armies  the  world 
has  ever  known,  and  he  had  only  to  cross  the  Chan- 
nel. To  invade  Japan  one  must  first  destroy  her 
fleet,  and  the  Japanese  knew  very  well  that  their  fleet 
at  the  time  was  superior  to  the  Russian  fleet  in 
these  waters.  And  even  with  the  destruction  of  the 
fleet  an  insular  nation  of  46,000,000  cannot  be  con- 
quered. Who  would  entertain  such  fantastic  pro- 
jects? Even  an  unbiased  Japanese  like  Shimada,  in 
the  Mainichi  Shimbun,  has  said  that  there  is  no 
danger  for  Japan  in  Russia’s  occupying  a port  on 
the  open  sea. 

Thus  we  easily  prove  that,  admitting  even  an 
occupation  of  Korea  by  Russia,  which  was  never  the 


386  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

case, — as  Japanese  soldiers,  not  Russians,  overran 
the  country, — still  the  integrity  of  Japan  itself  could 
never  be  placed  in  jeopardy. 

Having  proved  this  point  we  can  proceed  to  review 
the  principal  demands  Japan  made  of  Russia.  One 
of  the  principal  points  formulated  by  Komura  was 
the  recognition  by  Russia  of  Japanese  preponderant 
interests  in  Korea,  and  the  exclusive  right  of  Japan 
to  give  advice  and  assistance  to  Korea,  in  the  inter- 
ests of  reform  and  good  government.  Although 
Russia  admitted  the  right  of  Japan  to  despatch 
troops  to  Korea  when  necessary  for  the  protection 
of  her  interests  there,  Russia  demanded  previous 
notice  of  such  a despatch  of  troops,  and  refused  to 
permit  Japan  to  use  any  part  of  Korea  for  strategi- 
cal purposes. 

In  a word,  Japan  manifested  through  all  this  cor- 
respondence an  intention  of  securing  and  maintain- 
ing for  all  time  a control  over  Korea,  amounting  to 
annexation,  as  well  as  a wish  to  exert  the  same  kind 
of  influence  in  Manchuria.  In  the  last  proposal  of 
Baron  Komura.  it  was  asked  that  Russia  should 
declare  Korea  outside  of  its  sphere  of  interests,  mean- 
ing that  Japan  should  have  the  right  to  build  fort- 
resses in  Korea.  Japan  in  her  last  note  gave  herself 
all  rights  to  violate  the  independence  of  Korea,  at 
the  same  time  arrogating  unto  herself  the  right  to 
speak  about  Manchuria  in  behalf  of  China.  This 
correspondence  clearly  shows  one  thing — that  it  was 
not  Russia  who  intended  to  violate  the  independence 
of  Korea,  but  Japan  herself.  Russia  certainly  could 
not  give  her  consent  to  any  such  proposals ; she 
could  not  allow  Japan  to  be  master  of  Korea,  build 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  387 

fortresses  in  that  country,  and  use  Korea  as  a forti- 
fied camp,  as  that  would  mean  a constant  menace, 
not  only  to  Manchuria,  but  to  the  Amur  province. 
Russia  as  a great  power  could  certainly  not  admit 
that  Japan  should  dictate  her  conditions  regarding 
China.  The  best  answer  to  such  impudent  propo- 
sals would  have  been  to  sever  diplomatic  relations 
with  Japan.  Nevertheless,  Russia  showed  a highly 
conciliatory  spirit,  which,  is  the  dominant  trait  of 
character  of  the  Slavonic  race,  and  sent  counter- 
proposals to  Tokyo;  but  this  was  of  no  avail,  as 
Japan  had  already  precipitated  matters.  The  Japan- 
ese Minister  in  Washington  stated  that  in  the  face 
of  the  fact  that  Russia  was  preparing  for  war,  not 
only  Japan’s  safety  was  threatened,  but  her  very 
existence,  and  that  Japan  was  forced  to  begin  hos- 
tilities. The  contrary  was  the  case.  Japan  knew 
that  the  Russian  fleet  was  dispersed  along  the  coast, 
that  there  was  no  army  on  the  frontiers.  Would 
Japan  have  dared  to  attack  Russia  had  Russia  been 
prepared  in  the  Far  East  with  a powerful  fleet  and 
a great  army  to  repel  such  an  attack?  Certainly 
not.  She  would  have  continued  negotiations.  Japan 
knew  very  well  that  Russia  did  not  want  war,  was 
not  ready  for  war,  and  all  her  demands  were  mere 
pretenses  to  strike  a great  blow.  She  thought  like 
Dewey  to  destroy  the  enemy’s  fleet  at  one  stroke. 

But  although  Russia  was  unprepared  for  such  a 
treacherous  attack  on  her  fleet,  she  is  not  an  easy 
prey,  as  China  was  for  Japan,  and  in  beginning  such 
a war  Japan  plays  a hazardous  game.  Why  did  she 
begin  it?  One  reason  we  know.  Japan  thought 
that  the  moment  had  arrived  to  realize  her  plan  of 


388  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

conquering  Korea  and  from  there  to  spread  her 
domination  to  China.  It  is  the  opinion  of  some  that 
this  war  was  undertaken  to  turn  the  attention  of  the 
Japanese  nation  from  internal  questions.  If  this  be 
the  case,  then  woe,  woe ! to  any  strong  and  powerful 
nation  who  diverts  the  mind  of  its  people  from 
internal  troubles  to  risky  external  wars. 

What  can  be  the  result  of  this  war  in  case  of 
success?  Baron  Suyematsu,  formerly  Minister  of 
the  Interior,  kindly  explains  that  the  Japanese  do 
not  intend  to  conquer  Russia  {excuses  du  pen),  but 
chase  her  to  the  Baikal,  give  Manchuria  back  to 
China,  and  retain  Korea. 

But  that  is  all  idle  talk  of  people  who  cannot  rea- 
lize what  a war  with  Russia  means  to  Japan.  One 
need  not  be  a prophet  to  say  that  this  war  will  be 
disastrous  for  Japan.  If  Russia  comes  out  victor- 
ious Japan  will  have  sacrificed  many  lives  and  crip- 
pled her  resources  for  the  sake  of  ambition.  On  the 
other  hand,  should  Japan  come  out  with  flying 
banners,  she  will  come  out  with  crippled  resources, 
maybe  enriched  in  territory,  but  burdened  with  mili- 
tarism for  many  generations.  In  such  a case  the 
time  will  come  when  her  sympathizers  in  the 
United  States  will  painfully  discover  what  the 
advent  of  Japan  means  to  the  commercial  interests 
of  America.  As  we  have  already  stated,  Japan  has 
cheap  labor,  coal,  and  raw  material  at  hand,  and 
Japanese  wares  are  much  nearer  to  China  than  the 
American  wares.  It  takes  only  a couple  of  days  to 
ship  goods  from  Japan  to  Korea  and  China,  and  it 
takes  twenty  days  or  more  to  ship  them  from  Amer- 
ica. In  Manchuria  and  all  over  China  goods  would 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


389 


be  dealt  in  by  Japanese  merchants,  who  are  con- 
tented with  cheap  living  and  small  profits.  We  know 
already  that  nearly  all  the  carrying  trade  in  Japan 
is  carried  in  Japanese  vessels,  which  have  a tonnage 
of  more  than  600,000  tons.  The  same  can  be  said 
of  China  with  her  teeming  millions.  She  also  pos- 
sesses all  the  advantages  and  resources  which  Japan 
has,  and  owing  to  her  hundreds  of  millions  of  inhab- 
itants China  will  always  be  a land  of  cheap  labor. 
The  competition  with  these  two  countries  will  be 
disastrous  to  American  trade.  This  competition  has 
already  begun  if  we  can  believe  the  business  men  of 
the  Far  East. 


Chapter  XXXV 


CONCLUSIONS 

The  great  upheaval  which  has  taken  place  in 
Japan,  and  the  progress  which  it  has  made  within 
an  extraordinarily  short  time,  seems  to  many  noth- 
ing less  than  miraculous.  An  Asiatic  nation,  they 
say,  thirty-six  years  ago  isolated  from  the  world, 
suddenly  to  pass  from  feudalism  to  constitutional 
government  with  European  institutions,  to  appro- 
priate all  the  perfected  inventions  of  European  civili- 
zation. Those  who  are  astonished  at  all  this  entirely 
forget  that  we  have  before  us  a nation  of  old — 
thousand-year-old — culture,  original  maybe,  but 
fully  capable  of  appropriating  outwardly  the  prin- 
ciples of  European  civilization.  I say  outwardly, 
not  because  this  borrowing  of  the  Japanese  is  merely 
superficial,  but  because  it  does  not  affect  the  inner 
self  of  the  Japanese,  which  remains  exactly  as  it 
was  before — the  exact  opposite  to  Europe.  If  we 
see  in  the  Anglo-Saxon  race,  and  especially  in  the 
American,  the  personification  of  individualism,  in 
Japan  and  in  all  Eastern  countries  we  see  the  oppo- 
site extreme,  that  is,  the  principle  of  impersonality. 
The  language;  Buddhist  religion,  impersonal  in  its 
principle — whose  highest  happiness  consists  in  the 
loss  of  the  “ego,”  the  I become  a part  of  the  whole, 
that  is,  to  reach  Nirvana;  the  family  life  with  its 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  391 

cult  of  ancestors ; the  way  art  and  nature  are  looked 
upon;  everywhere  the  principle  of  impersonality 
reigns.  Especially  is  it  so  with  regard  to  art  and 
nature.  The  Japanese  does  not  separate  himself 
from  nature,  he  does  not  put  himself  on  a pedestal, 
but  lives  in  soul-union  with  nature.  For  him  nature 
is  divine  and  man  nothing.  In  art  he  does  not  deify 
man  as  did  the  ancient  Greeks,  leaving  us  works  of 
beauty.  In  Japanese  art,  if  man  is  not  merely  a 
complement  of  nature,  then  he  is  represented  rather 
in  a comical  light  with  all  his  peculiarities  and  im- 
perfections, as  is  shown  in  the  netzke,  the  highest 
expression  of  Japanese  realism. 

Pages  can  be  written  on  this  subject,  but  this 
much  suffices  to  understand  that  we  have  to  deal 
with  a race  of  ancient  culture,  although  differing 
from  European. 

Now  let  us  look  at  how  this  assimilation  of  Euro- 
pean ideas  and  understanding  was  accomplished  and 
what  changes  it  has  wrought  in  the  Japanese  him- 
self. The  change  came  about  quite  naturally.  The 
leaders  of  Japan  were  convinced  that  they  could  no 
longer  resist  the  Europeans,  and  this  being  the  case 
they  must  themselves  acquire  all  that  which  makes 
the  strength  of  European  civilization  in  order  to 
uphold  their  independence  and  self-existence.  We 
will  here  take  occasion  to  say  that  the  leaders  feared 
very  much  that  their  country  would  be  an  easy  prey 
of  the  greedy  Europeans.  Having  decided  what 
was  necessary  to  be  done,  they  began  their  work  at 
once  with  energy.  As  is  always  the  case,  a mass  of 
people  echoed  their  thoughts,  followed  their  lead, 
imitating  everything  European  indiscriminately, 


392  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

calling  forth  the  raillery  of  their  European  teachers 
and  also  of  the  opposite  camp,  the  Chinese,  which 
they  had  abandoned.  The  Chinese,  seeing  the  Jap- 
anese in  their  ridiculous  costumes,  said  with  a con- 
temptuous smile,  “You  cannot  change  your  skin, 
it  will  always  be  yellow’.” 

But  the  Japanese  only  said  to  themselves,  “He 
laughs  best  who  laughs  last,”  and  continued  their 
way,  organizing  their  army  on  European  lines, 
which,  when  the  war  with  China  came,  showed  that 
they  had  profited  by  their  European  lessons.  When 
the  time  came  for  the  revision  of  treaties  they 
showed  themselves  diplomats  capable  of  upholding 
their  own  against  Europeans.  Having  obtained 
from  England  the  abolishment  of  consular  jurisdic- 
tion, they  on  their  part  made  no  concession  to  Euro- 
peans, who  up  to  the  present  time  have  not  the  right 
to  own  property  in  Japan.  Now  let  us  see  how  far 
the  Japanese  have  become  European.  Being  con- 
vinced that  they  could  not  fight  in  the  old  way, 
with  bows  and  arrows  and  covered  with  armor,  they 
relegated  the  old  means  to  the  archives  and  put  their 
soldiers  in  European  uniforms.  They  have  done  the 
same  with  their  fleet.  They  saw  that  to  be  powerful, 
to  have  factories  and  wealth,  machines,  railroads, 
and  ships  were  necessary,  and  above  all  the  educa- 
tion of  the  youth.  All  this  they  have  accomplished 
and  there  they  stopped. 

Take  the  Japanese  in  his  home  life.  You  will  see 
that  he  wears  the  European  costume  in  his  office,  in 
the  army  and  navy.  As  soon  as  the  chance  offers 
he  throws  off  his  hated  European  costume  with  de- 
light, and  squats  on  his  heels  on  his  matting.  He 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  393 

never  thinks  of  changing  the  arrangement  of  his 
home  for  anything  European.  Many  Japanese  who 
have  lived  long  in  Europe,  and  having  become  accus- 
tomed to  chairs,  have  told  me  how  difficult  it  was 
for  them  to  get  used  to  sit  Japanese  fashion  when 
they  returned  home;  “But  there  is  nothing  to  be 
done,”  they  would  say.  It  is  a mere  detail,  but  it  is 
connected  with  the  whole  Japanese  life.  Discarding 
one  thing  they  would  have  to  radically  change  every 
thing;  and  this  the  Japanese  do  not  wish  to  do.  Let 
us  listen  to  their  arguments.  A Japanese  house, 
which  can  be  built  in  two  or  three  weeks,  open  to 
the  air  on  all  sides,  with  clean  mattings,  without 
furniture,  answers  much  better  the  demands  of  hy- 
giene than  European  houses,  encumbered  with  furni- 
ture, bric-a-brac  and  portieres,  the  breeding  ground 
of  microbes.  A great  argument  is  that  the  Japanese 
home  is  much  cheaper  than  the  European.  The  peo- 
ple are  much  more  independent  in  case  of  misfor- 
tune, for  if  he  loses  his  fortune  the  Japanese  will 
scarcely  notice  it  in  his  home — he  will  simply  have 
a few  yards  of  matting  less,  that  is  all.  The  life 
of  a poor  Japanese  differs  but  little  from  that  of  a 
rich  one.  Certainly  there  are  shades  of  difference, 
but  not  marked,  like  in  Europe.  When  a Japanese 
takes  a journey  he  does  not  require  cumbersome 
baggage,  like  the  European.  With  a knapsack  or  a 
hand-bag,  he  starts  off,  knowing  that  all  he  requires 
he  will  find  on  the  way — a bath,  a clean  kimono  after 
it,  and  fresh  sandals,  which  he  can  purchase  at  every 
step  for  a few  cents.  Therefore  the  Japanese  does 
not  sacrifice  his  home  arrangement  to  new  tenden- 
cies. The  rich  Japanese  make  the  concession  of 


394  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

having  a European  room  in  their  houses  or  even  a 
part  of  the  house  European,  but  nevertheless  they 
live  in  the  Japanese  half.  Will  they  ever  change 
their  home  life  for  that  of  Europe?  I think  not. 
Already,  under  the  influence  of  the  reaction  toward 
the  national  spirit,  they  accentuate  their  attachment 
to  old  home  customs.  I remember  the  time  when 
Japanese  ladies  considered  it  a necessity  to  appear  in 
decollete  at  balls,  while  now  they  wear  their  beauti- 
ful Japanese  costumes.  Architecture  has  also  re- 
mained purely  Japanese.  The  only  European  build- 
ings in  the  country  are  those  built  by  Europeans  or 
government  buildings.  The  appearance  of  a Japan- 
ese town  has  not  changed  in  the  last  thirty  years. 
The  Japanese  as  a Buddhist  knows  that  all  is  transi- 
ent, and  does  not  build  like  the  European,  for  cen- 
turies. 

Let  us  take  their  state  organization.  Foreigners, 
hearing  of  Parliament,  House  of  Lords,  of  parties, 
of  ministers,  marquises  and  barons,  would  imagine 
that  Japan  has  been  transformed  into  a European 
state.  In  reality  it  has  remained  a theocracy  under 
a foreign  garb,  with  a descendant  of  the  gods  on  the 
throne,  and  is  governed  up  to  the  present  time  by  an 
oligarchy,  like  in  the  time  of  Hideyoshi.  only  that 
the  leaders,  instead  of  wearing  the  old  handsome 
costumes,  have  donned  uniforms  and  covered  their 
breasts  with  decorations. 

Many  expected  that  Japan  adopting  European 
culture  would  become  Christian;  but  years  have 
passed,  missionaries  of  various  denominations  have 
received  good  salaries,  but  Christianity  makes  no 
great  headway. 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  395 

Many  also  thought  that  Japan  would  open  wide 
her  doors  to  foreigners.  They  were  mistaken.  Quite 
the  contrary.  The  more  she  advances,  the  more 
she  wishes  to  do  without  foreign  help.  The  for- 
eign teachers  have  been  dismissed  with  good  pen- 
sions, and  the  youths  of  Japan  are  sent  to  Europe 
and  America  to  learn  all  that  is  new  there,  especially 
in  inventions  and  machinery.  At  the  same  time  the 
hatred  of  foreigners  grows,  and  is  shown  more 
clearly  day  by  day.  The  undisguised  rudeness  of 
the  younger  generation  to  foreign  women  is  but  a 
straw  showing  which  way  the  wind  blows.  The 
statesmen  of  Japan,  even  the  Emperor  himself,  re- 
proached such  conduct,  warning  them  that  it  was 
unwise. 

Certainly  there  are  Japanese  who  like  everything 
foreign,  but  they  are  in  the  great  minority.  All  the 
statesmen  and  their  followers  who  came  to  the  fore 
with  the  European  tendencies  will  be  wise  enough 
not  to  express  themselves  frankly  either  way;  but 
this  hatred  is  instinctively  felt  by  all  those  who  have 
lived  in  the  Far  East.  We  are  not  speaking,  of 
course,  of  the  mass  of  the  common  people,  who  have 
remained  as  they  always  were,  with  many  sympa- 
thetic traits  of  character;  yet  even  they  look  upon 
foreigners  as  strange  beings,  a kind  of  monstrosity, 
and  contemplate  them  with  more  curiosity  than 
hatred. 

That  the  Japanese  have  not  become  Europeanized 
is  due  to  the  fact  that  after  the  war  with  China  their 
conceit  was  unbounded.  It  is  only  necessary  to  read 
Professor  Inouye’s  remarks,  who  has  studied  Euro- 
pean literature  for  twenty-five  years.  In  a speech 


396  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

delivered  before  a large  crowd,  he  said:  “In  all 

countries  the  monarch  springs  from  the  people;  in 
Japan,  the  land  of  gods,  the  people  spring  from  the 
monarch  who  descends  from  the  gods.”  Even  the 
Japanese  paper,  the  Mainichi  Sliimbun,  reproaches 
the  Japanese  with  this  pride  and  conceit,  saying  that 
they  think  themselves  the  first  nation  of  the  world. 

What  has  European  civilization  attained  in  reality 
in  Japan  ? It  has  given  them  the  possibility  to  defend 
their  independence  and  individuality  (which  was 
never  threatened)  more  efficiently.  The  proud 
motto,  “Japan  for  the  Japanese,”  has  penetrated  the 
schools  and  the  masses.  Every  youngster  considers 
his  first  duty  to  his  Emperor,  and  to  work  toward 
the  strengthening  and  enriching  of  his  country  and 
the  safeguarding  of  its  independence. 

What  is  instilled  into  the  minds  of  the  soldiers 
and  children  in  the  school  battalions  which  are  or- 
ganized all  over  Japan  is  seen  in  the  following 
dialogue : 

A.  — “Who  is  your  chief?” 

B.  — “The  Emperor.” 

A.  — “In  what  consists  the  military  spirit?” 

B.  — “In  obedience  and  readiness  to  sacrifice  one's 
life.” 

A.  — “What  is  the  highest  virtue?” 

B.  — “Never  to  look  at  the  number  of  the  enemy, 
but  to  go  forward.” 

A.  — “Why  are  there  drops  of  blood  on  this  flag?” 

B.  — “It  is  the  blood  of  the  man  who  has  defended 
it.” 

A.  — “What  thought  does  this  arouse  in  you?” 

B.  — “That  he  is  happy.  The  man  is  dead,  but  his 
glory  remains.” 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  397 

As  you  see,  it  is  the  same  old  spirit  of  the  samurai 
military  virtue,  contempt  for  death  and  readiness  to 
sacrifice  one’s  self  in  the  name  of  duty.  Examples  of 
this  old  samurai  spirit  are  many.  A daimio,  show- 
ing a severed  head  to  a youth,  asked  him  if  he  recog- 
nized the  head  of  his  father.  The  youth  bowed  low 
and  took  oath  that  it  was  his  father’s  head,  after 
which  he  instantly  committed  hara-kiri.  He  knew 
it  was  not  his  father’s  head,  but  saved  his  honor 
by  ending  his  life,  and  his  father  lived  on  in  safety. 
Every  one  has  heard  of  the  time  the  attempt  was 
made  in  Japan  on  the  Russian  Heir  Apparent’s  life. 
One  young  girl,  hearing  that  the  Emperor  was  very 
much  depressed  over  the  affair,  decided  to  commit 
suicide.  Soldiers  who  were  not  taken  to  fight  in 
the  war  with  China  committed  hara-kiri.  Not  long 
ago  an  old  samurai,  sending  his  son  as  apprentice 
to  a baker  in  Tokyo,  separated  from  him  with  these 
words,  “Remember  never  to  make  me  ashamed  of 
you.”  Some  time  after  this  the  boy  was  accused  of 
stealing,  paid  his  wages,  and  dismissed.  He  went 
to  the  theatre,  and  later  threw  himself  under  a pass- 
ing train,  having  left  a note  for  his  father,  saying, 
“Respected  father,  the  accusation  is  false.”  True 
enough,  the  real  culprit  was  found  later.  This  is  a 
great  moral  power  in  a nation,  but  to  what  end  will 
it  be  directed?  If  it  is  only  directed  toward  keeping 
the  individuality  of  Japan  it  must  command  respect 
and  admiration;  but  the  tendencies  of  young  Japan 
demand  more.  Not  long  ago  a Japanese  writer  in 
the  Far  East  published  the  following,  “Even-  nation 
must  have  its  ambitious  plans ; the  ambition  of  Japan 
is  to  be  the  torch  of  Asia,  to  spread  her  influence 


398  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

over  all  the  East.”  A French  writer  attributes  to 
Count  Okuma  the  proud  thought  that  “Japan  will 
not  only  equal  Europe,  but  surpass  it,  and  that  time 
is  not  far  off  when  the  European  states  will  be  a 
crumbling  mass  of  ruins.”  I leave  to  Mr.  Martin 
(“Le  Japon  Nouveau”)  the  responsibility  for  this 
quotation,  but  for  my  part  I can  say  that  such  ambi- 
tious views  are  nothing  extraordinary  to  me  who 
have  lived  long  in  Japan.  I remember  a conversa- 
tion I once  had  with  a Japanese  statesman  on  the 
subject  of  Iveyasu.  I volunteered  the  remark  that 
Iyeyasu  at  the  time  was  perhaps  right  in  closing 
Japan  to  foreigners  and  safeguarding  by  this  means 
the  independence  of  Japan.  His  answer  was,  “Is  it 
certain  that  Iyeyasu  did  not  stop  the  advance  of 
Japan,  which  in  conquering  China  would  have  be- 
come the  greatest  and  most  powerful  country  in  the 
world  ?” 

The  ambitious  plans  of  the  future  greatness  of 
Japan  fill  so  many  books  and  papers  of  the  country 
that  it  is  difficult  to  choose  among  them.  The  mis- 
sion of  Japan,  according  to  one  Japanese  magazine, 
is  “To  civilize  Europe  and  to  reconstruct  on  Japan- 
ese lines  its  moral  and  religious  life.  Europe,”  it 
says,  “is  deeply  immoral  and  egoism  appears  in  all 
her  actions.  We  see  only  the  pursuit  of  money  and 
pleasure.  What  a contrast  Japan  represents,  with 
her  simplicity,  moderation,  disinterestedness,  hon- 
esty and  heroism.  All  the  virtues  have  congregated 
in  our  nation,  and  for  this  reason  she  is  called  upon 
to  dominate  over  all  other  nations  in  the  name  of 
honesty  and  valor.”  Dreams  are  dreams;  neverthe- 
less, Japan  has  done  something  toward  the  realiza- 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 


399 


tion  of  these  plans.  Let  us  review  her  policy  in 
China,  which  has  completely  changed  since  the  war. 
Instead  of  trying  to  subjugate  her  by  force,  she  has 
put  forth  all  her  strength  to  dominate  China  through 
influence,  and  we  can  say  that  she  has  succeeded. 
Where  does  China  send  her  youth  to  study  sciences 
and  military  art? — To  Japan.  Who,  in  China,  is 
at  the  head  of  the  educational  department? — The 
Japanese,  who  have  even  founded  a Japanese  Univer- 
sity, in  Pekin,  for  Chinese  students.  What  type  of 
school  do  the  Chinese  imitate  at  the  present  time? — 
Japanese  schools.  Who  are  invited  by  progressive 
Governors  to  found  schools  in  the  provinces  ? — The 
Japanese.  I think  this  is  sufficient,  but  it  is  not  all. 

The  Japanese  propagate  the  idea  of  Pan-Mongol- 
ism or  Pan-Asiatism,  and  write  pamphlets  and  form 
societies  for  this  purpose.  “Japan,”  it  is  stated  in 
these  pamphlets,  “will  take  upon  herself  to  forrrpa 
league  of  Asiatic  powers  against  the  domination  of 
the  white  race.”  These  pamphlets  are  read  by  the 
Chinese  Emperor,  in  the  palaces  of  the  monarchs  of 
Asia,  and  in  the  poor  hovels — wherever  the  white 
race  has  humbled  the  other  races.  Japanese  emis- 
saries work  to  this  end  in  China,  Annam,  Philip- 
pines, India.  The  youth  of  these  countries,  educated 
by  Japanese,  become  imbued  with  the  idea  of  one 
day  fighting  against  the  white  race.  The  center  of 
this  propaganda  is  certainly  Tokyo,  where  the 
youth  from  all  parts  of  Asia  flock  together.  In 
Tokyo  you  will  also  find  the  Teodabun,  whose  evan- 
gelism is  the  following:  ist.  The  fraternity  of  the 

yellow  race ; 2d.  The  superiority  of  the  yellow  race 
over  the  white ; 3d.  The  necessity  of  a yellow  league 


400  The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun 

under  the  leadership  of  Japan;  4th.  The  creation  of 
a great  state  which  would  expel  the  white  race  from 
Asia.  The  highest  officials  and  princes  of  the  blood 
are  at  the  head  of  this  Teodabun. 

To  judge  of  the  style  of  these  conferences  we  can 
cite  the  following  from  one  of  their  publications. 
“China,”  it  is  said,  “can  attain,  not  only  indepen- 
dence, but  be  freed  from  the  oppressions  of  Europe, 
if  she  will  with  Japan’s  aid  introduce  some  reforms.” 
Air.  Meredith  Townsend  in  his  remarkable  book, 
“Asia  and  Europe,”  proves  very  clearly  that  Japan 
aspires  to  be  the  leader  of  the  yellow  and  brown  men 
in  casting  Europe  headlong  out  of  the  mother  conti- 
nent. The  propagandists  of  the  Pan-Asiatic  society 
tell  the  people  but  the  simple  truth  when  they  relate 
that  three  times  has  Asia  flung  back  the  Europeans, 
and  that  what  was  possible  in  the  time  of  Alexander 
the  Great,  the  Romans,  and  the  Crusaders  is  possible 
again,  as  Asia  on  the  basis  of  German  subscription 
has  eighty  million  of  potential  soldiers,  “and  not 
only  in  the  military  but  in  a commercial  sense  Asia 
can  outstrip  Europe  and  America.” 

Who  knows?  Maybe  Japan  will  succeed  in  uplift- 
ing the  whole  of  Asia,  arm  her  with  European  arms, 
and  invent  some  new  and  terrible  explosives.  These 
myriads  will  be  armed  from  head  to  foot  according 
to  European  methods ; but  the  question  remains,  will 
they  not  remain  alien  to  the  real  European  spirit 
and  to  Christianity?  What  will  be  said  then  by 
those  who  now  proclaim  that  Japan  is  fighting  in 
the  name  of  civilization?  In  the  spreading  of  this 
very  idea  the  Japanese  have  shown  that  they 
have  learned  something  from  Europe,  and  they  have 


The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  401 

succeeded  in  hypnotizing  the  public  opinion  of 
Europe  and  America.  Japanese  diplomats  went  to 
work  to  gain  sympathy  in  the  leading  circles  in 
Europe  and  America,  and  to  this  end  spared  neither 
money  nor  efforts.  The  Japanese  well  knew  that 
if  they  were  to  realize  their  dream  of  a great  future 
they  must  proceed  with  caution,  and  above  all  not 
show  their  cards  too  clearly,  as  they  could  not  with- 
stand the  combined  forces  of  Europe  and  America ; 
that  they  must  profit  by  the  dissensions  between 
European  powers.  They  knew  very  well  that  Russia 
owing  to  her  natural  strength,  aroused  the  enmity 
and  suspicion  of  many  European  powers,  therefore 
the  first  blow  was  aimed  at  Russia.  If  they  should 
succeed  in  breaking  this  power,  or  even  weaken- 
ing it,  and  thus  raise  the  prestige  of  Japan  in  all 
Asia,  that  would  already  be  a great  result.  Then 
would  follow  the  turn  of  other  nations,  for  has 
not  Germany,  Shantung;  England,  Wei-hai-wei 
and  Hongkong,  etc. 

Let  there  be  no  illusion ! We  are  living  through 
a significant  moment  of  human  history  and  are  con- 
templating the  first  act  of  the  struggle  of  Asia 
against  the  European  spirit. 


